Naya Rivera 'Mustered Enough Energy' to Get Son on Boat but 'Not Enough to Save Herself': Police

[clapclapclap 9000]

https://people.com/tv/naya-rivera-mustered-enough-energy-to-get-son-on-boat-but-not-enough-to-save-herself-sheriff/
 

Spoiler

 

Naya Rivera's 4-year-old son Josey "told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water," Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub told reporters

Naya Rivera's final moments were spent saving the person she loved most, according to investigators.

On Monday, the former Glee star's body was found  five days after she went missing during a boating trip at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, with her 4-year-old son, Josey, whom she shares with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey.

At a news conference Monday afternoon, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub recounted what Josey told authorities about the tragic accident.

"We know from speaking with her son, that he and Naya swam in the lake together at some point during their journey. It was during that time that her son described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind," the sheriff said. "He told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water."

Ayub said that "there are a lot of currents on the lake that appear particularly in the afternoon" and that authorities believe she disappeared in the "mid-afternoon."

"The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting, it was unanchored, and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself," Ayub said.

The sheriff added that there is no evidence of foul play or suicide. An autopsy will be performed at the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office, and Rivera will be officially identified based on dental records.

Last Wednesday, Rivera, 33, was declared missing after an outing on the lake with her son, who was found asleep and alone on the pontoon after the boat was overdue for its return.

"Naya’s son was later found asleep on the boat, which was adrift in a northern portion of the lake known as 'The Narrows' ... when a leasing agent searched for the watercraft, which was overdue with return. The young boy was wearing a life vest when he was found, and he was wrapped in a towel," Ayub said during the news conference.

"An adult size life vest was found on the boat. Several witnesses who were at the lake that day have been identified and interviewed by sheriffs and investigators," Ayub added. "There were three other rental boats on the lake that day. All of the people in those boats have been identified and interviewed. They had seen Naya’s boat at different times and at several different locations while she was out on the lake."

An extensive, five-day search at the lake began for Rivera, who was presumed dead on Thursday.

Lake Piru has been the site of several drownings over the years, and the actress's disappearance prompted a petition calling for signs warning swimmers of its dangerous conditions. Ayub noted that "swimming is allowed" in the waters.

Authorities "utilized dozens of personnel: watercraft, helicopters, with unmanned aerial systems, and on the shore, conducting a methodical and comprehensive search," Ayub said.

After a multi-day search, "today our search teams have recovered a body in the lake," Ayub told reporters. "Based on the location that the body was found, physical characteristics of the body, clothing found on the body, and physical condition of the body, as well as the absence of any other persons reported missing in the area, we are confident that the body we found is that of Naya Rivera."

He continued: "She was found in a northeastern portion of the lake, near the surface of the water. Depth of the water is between 35 and 60-feet deep, there is heavy brush and trees on the lakebed there."

In the days leading up to finding Rivera's body, her family, ex-husband and former castmates were seen visiting the lake.

During the news conference, Ayub expressed his condolences to the actress' loved ones during this heartbreaking time.

"As you can imagine, it has been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal, as fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, our hearts are with them and we share in their grief for Naya’s loss. We have been in direct contact with the family throughout this entire time, and we’ve kept them updated on the progress of our search efforts throughout," he said.  "Our hearts also go out to Naya’s many friends and fans, who have been holding out hope for the best over the last few days."

 

 

[Trey3216 15380]

Damn

[Hate 20157]

That's an awful story.  I feel horribly for that kid having to watch his mom drown like that. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

3 minutes ago, Hate said:

That's an awful story.  I feel horribly for that kid having to watch his mom drown like that. 

That definitely sucks. We were coming back from a deep sea fishing weekend back in '96 up thru the Outer Banks. A woman and her son were crossing the beach road, and she was hit by a car doing abut 25 or 30 MPH, right in front of us.

I'd never seen sometime hit by a car, she flew about 50' and landed in the road. Really a horrible thing to see. My wife took her son in the store, and tried to keep him pre occupied, and comforted.  Turns out the kid had been begging his mom all week to take him to get a hermit crab across the street at the gift shop. That's where they were heading when she got hit. The poor kid was balling saying it was his fault over and over.  I don't cry at much, but I was balling like a little girl for that kid listening to him go off about it.

[workswithseed 2140]

Wtf? Did she die? 

[dcar00 14609]

awful story.  boating is dangerous activity.  you can get lulled into a false sense of security real easily.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

Stomach turning.  As I get older I wear life jackets now anytime I’m on the water.  Unless anchored up or drift fishing in shallows.  
 

Wearing a life jacket and kill switch while underway reduces a lot of risk.  Too many people are careless with boats and other water crafts.  

[clapclapclap 9000]

Edit:  Misunderstood.

Edited July 14, 2020 by clapclapclap

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

1 minute ago, workswithseed said:

Wtf? Did she die? 

Thankfully no, they had a helicopter on the bypass road in about 10 minutes, and 20 minutes later she was airlifted up to Norfolk, Va.  We got a phone call from her about 3 or 4 months later. She could barely talk thru her tears thanking my wife for taking care of her son while the whole thing was going down. She spent a month in the hospital before going back home to Ohio.  We're not sure how she got our info. I think my wife gave it to one of the EMT's maybe.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

5 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

awful story.  boating is dangerous activity.  you can get lulled into a false sense of security real easily.

Been on the water most of my life. Never fuck around on the water.  R-E-S-P-E-C-T.....

[RollLeft 5045]

People often underestimate dehydration and swimming.  Its hard for me to understand why only she and her son would be out there.  Its a shame. 

[dcar00 14609]

also, its too bad she didn't try to get herself up first or leave the kid and get to the boat to get her life jacket.  its kind of like an airplane, where you take oxygen first and then give it to your kid.  but I'm sure she just panicked, which of course tires you out more.

[tx 3 putt 77934]

Mother Nature gives zero fucks. She’s smarter and stronger than any human 

[Helobious 9504]

I’ve always considered myself a strong swimmer, but so did most of these drowning victims I bet. I’ve learned how to deal with rip currents & undertow at the beach. But just anecdotally I hear about way, way more people drowning on lakes & rivers than the beach. Not sure why exactly. 

[dcar00 14609]

7 minutes ago, Helobious said:

I’ve always considered myself a strong swimmer, but so did most of these drowning victims I bet. I’ve learned how to deal with rip currents & undertow at the beach. But just anecdotally I hear about way, way more people drowning on lakes & rivers than the beach. Not sure why exactly. 

lakes are randomly deep and shallow(especially man made ones) and people don't realize where they are.  rivers can have really fast flowing current. beaches have a point of reference and also usually they don't drop way off for a good while and folks don't tend to go out that far(Shark!).

beach drownings are almost always rip current related.

[TwiceHorn 31686]

10 minutes ago, Helobious said:

I’ve always considered myself a strong swimmer, but so did most of these drowning victims I bet. I’ve learned how to deal with rip currents & undertow at the beach. But just anecdotally I hear about way, way more people drowning on lakes & rivers than the beach. Not sure why exactly. 

To a certain extent, swimming and watersports are creatures of privilege.  It's probably unwise to assume that a lot of kids ever got swimming lessons or took a lifesaving class or learned to waterski or wakeboard or any of that.

Hell, a lot of urban kids get to go to the city pool  . . .  where it's basically standing room only.

[dcar00 14609]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

To a certain extent, swimming and watersports are creatures of privilege.  It's probably unwise to assume that a lot of kids ever got swimming lessons or took a lifesaving class or learned to waterski or wakeboard or any of that.

Hell, a lot of urban kids get to go to the city pool  . . .  where it's basically standing room only.

I would say swimming isn't at all.  but learning to swim might not be a priority.  watersports aren't cheap.

[Anastasis 23512]

37 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

also, its too bad she didn't try to get herself up first or leave the kid and get to the boat to get her life jacket.  its kind of like an airplane, where you take oxygen first and then give it to your kid.  but I'm sure she just panicked, which of course tires you out more.

Yeah.  I wouldn't get in the water by myself with a kid that age without a life jacket.  Shit I don't get out of the boat without at least a set of noodles. 

[dcar00 14609]

2 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

Yeah.  I wouldn't get in the water by myself with a kid that age without a life jacket.  Shit I don't get out of the boat without at least a set of noodles. 

of course.  she made a mistake. unfortunately a really tragic one.

[Helobious 9504]

Yeah I didn’t come from a super-privileged background, and I’ve definitely never done any water sports or been on a jet ski or anything like that. But I’m lucky that my parents believed all kids should learn how to swim & they put us in swimming lessons early on. By age 3 or 4 I could keep myself afloat without floaties (not for long but at least it was something). I wish more parents made it a priority like that, a lot of needless deaths could be avoided. Sadly many don’t have the means. 
 

It’s sounding here like they were just swimming outside the boat, no one fell off. The boat must’ve gotten away from them or she was getting more tired than she realized.

[dcar00 14609]

2 minutes ago, Helobious said:

Yeah I didn’t come from a super-privileged background, and I’ve definitely never done any water sports or been on a jet ski or anything like that. But I’m lucky that my parents believed all kids should learn how to swim & they put us in swimming lessons early on. By age 3 or 4 I could keep myself afloat without floaties (not for long but at least it was something). I wish more parents made it a priority like that, a lot of needless deaths could be avoided. Sadly many don’t have the means. 
 

It’s sounding here like they were just swimming outside the boat, no one fell off. The boat must’ve gotten away from them or she was getting more tired than she realized.

The Y's used to give free lessons everywhere but again it has to be a priority for parents or the kid won't do it

[Bevo 13637]

I am a great swimmer but I've almost fucked up like that twice. The first time I was in the Yucatan with my first boy and we were swimming in the ocean and the current got strong and I was having a fairly difficult time with it at the same time he was having a hard time. Thankfully, he was a strong swimmer because it was hard enough for me but having to keep him safe made it even more difficult. You can go from safe to dangerous in an instant in the ocean.

The second time it happened was with my second son who wasn't a great swimmer at the time. We were doing a day trip to Antigua and were at the beach and the Catamaran was moored offshore. From shore it seemed pretty calm and so I swam with him on my back. After we got out about 50 yards or so, the waves picked up so as I was trying to keep him above water, I kept swallowing water. It fucking sucked going from what was relatively easy into being life threatening. Everything ended up fine, but it rightfully scared the shit out of me. All my son remembers is seeing a big turtle while we were swimming.

[Blotto 23705]

I remember doing all sorts of stupid shit around water when I was a teenager. The weekend after high school graduation we were at a buddy's family lakehouse drinking all day, and we were almost out of beer. Our solution was to swim from the shore we were on across the finger of the lake to the opposite shore. Last guy to finish had to buy the beer. So about 6 of us take off drunk, swimming a distance nobody had tried before.... it took a good deal longer than we would have guessed. That's it, nothing bad happened.....but it sure as fuck could have. We didn't give two fucks at the time, like the idea of one of us cramping up etc... never occurred to us. 

 

 

[Incredulity 11693]

I has a close call that seems to be a similar scenario two years ago at a mountain lake we were camping at. My daughter was on the anchored trampoline another family brought complaining she couldn’t swim in.  So I went out to get her.  I totally underestimated the water temp and her dragging on my neck. She was wearing a life jacket I wasn’t. I made a desperate push for the bottom as I got a bunch of water into airway.  I am pretty convinced had i not got a toe full of bottom to push off of something really bad was happening. When I got back to the beach area where everyone was hanging out having a good time it took them a while for them to understand why I was pale and shaking.  Could of drowned 30 yards away from them.

[tx 3 putt 77934]

1 hour ago, Helobious said:

I’ve always considered myself a strong swimmer, but so did most of these drowning victims I bet. I’ve learned how to deal with rip currents & undertow at the beach. But just anecdotally I hear about way, way more people drowning on lakes & rivers than the beach. Not sure why exactly. 

the boat floated away, they were fucked. that lake wanted one of them and she saved her child. RiP 

 

dont ever leave the boat unattended, never. ive seen many experienced fishermen go out wading and their empty boat head out into the bay

Edited July 14, 2020 by tx 3 putt

[dcar00 14609]

14 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

the boat floated away, they were fucked. that lake wanted one of them and she saved her child. RiP 

 

dont ever leave the boat unattended, never. ive seen many experienced fishermen go out wading and their empty boat head out into the bay

 

[Sawbonz 27780]

2 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Thankfully no, they had a helicopter on the bypass road in about 10 minutes, and 20 minutes later she was airlifted up to Norfolk, Va.  We got a phone call from her about 3 or 4 months later. She could barely talk thru her tears thanking my wife for taking care of her son while the whole thing was going down. She spent a month in the hospital before going back home to Ohio.  We're not sure how she got our info. I think my wife gave it to one of the EMT's maybe.

I bet mom brought up that fucking hermit crab all the time to that kid when he got older

[Brew 3049]

14 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

the boat floated away, they were fucked. that lake wanted one of them and she saved her child. RiP 

 

dont ever leave the boat unattended, never. ive seen many experienced fishermen go out wading and their empty boat head out into the bay

This. A few summers ago we were all swimming off of a pontoon when a storm blew in. Next thing we know the wind had the pontoon going faster than we could swim. Luckily the kids all had life jackets with them and I'm a pretty good swimmer. However, it can be a bitch getting into a pontoon or any boat for that matter when you're tired and depending on what direction you are coming into it. Panic just compounds that problem.

The whole story is just incredibly sad and odd. Why would you take a 4 year old out alone on a pontoon and then leave the boat while out on the water without a life jacket? There are 100 different ways that story can go bad. Take him for a ride, pull into a beach, whatever, but don't bail off with no flotation device and no back up plan on the boat in case something goes wrong. I feel horrible for the kid having to just sit there. 

[jimmyjazz 46479]

Shit, I get nervous on Travis in my friend's runabout when he anchors and everyone piles out with noodles and whatnot.  I almost always just stay in the boat and watch the kids in case something starts to go south.  No close calls yet or anything but becoming a Dad turned me from a complete dumbass with no concern for my own life (see "snorkel out about 1/3 mile from a tiny island in the Bahamas") to a Grade A nervous Nellie.

[MillerEP 30570]

Yeah I’ve considered myself a pretty good swimmer growing up in Galveston, and qual’d swim class 2 in the Marines, but I’ve had a few close calls to near exhaustion many times. Like someone else said a few posts up, you really underestimate how tired you can get. I learned to really respect the water, I don’t go anywhere without at least a noodle or some flotation device.

 

I never really watched glee, but I did linger on it a few times because of her. Tragic loss.

[Bevo 13637]

5 hours ago, MillerEP said:

Yeah I’ve considered myself a pretty good swimmer growing up in Galveston, and qual’d swim class 2 in the Marines, but I’ve had a few close calls to near exhaustion many times. Like someone else said a few posts up, you really underestimate how tired you can get. I learned to really respect the water, I don’t go anywhere without at least a noodle or some flotation device.

I got this vision of a marine in full garb swimming in his pool with a pink butterfly noodle.

[Trey3216 15380]

I’m a pretty good swimmer and had a scare about 10 years ago.   We were out on the lake and one of the floats blew off and was getting pushed away by the wind.  It was about 30 yards away when I jumped in after it, with no life jacket.   Well, I’m tearing after this thing and get about 5-10 yards from it (it’s now about 50 yards from the boat) and my right shoulder decides it wants to come out of socket.  Now I’m proper fucked.  So I roll onto my back as best as I can and try to swim with one arm back to the boat.  Every little bit, I’m yelling at my friends for help.   They eventually hear me and have to start the boat to come get me.  It was so out of socket that I couldn’t even use my hand for balance, and those little ladders on the boat were too difficult to maneuver with one arm, so they had to drag my ass to shore.   
 

scared the shit out of me and my friends.  

[Cajun 11764]

10 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Yeah.  I wouldn't get in the water by myself with a kid that age without a life jacket.  Shit I don't get out of the boat without at least a set of noodles. 

[hornian 5251]

10 hours ago, dcar00 said:

I would say swimming isn't at all.  but learning to swim might not be a priority.  watersports aren't cheap.

Just ask the president. 

[austingirl 2193]

So horrible. The Glee cast seems like it's cursed.

[Steamboat1874 4153]

Anyone find it odd where and how she parked?

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Steamboat1874

[Nice Guy Eddie 13541]

I wouldn’t have guessed many young mothers with a 4 year old would rent a pontoon boat for the day and go out alone. Maybe that was their thing. I’m not implying anything, I just found that odd.

[Hate 20157]

Anyone find it odd where and how she parked?

 

Take it to the parking douchebag thread.

[BigHorn'13 3455]

3 hours ago, Bevo said:

I got this vision of a marine in full garb swimming in his pool with a pink butterfly noodle.

That's the most dildo ish looking noodle I've ever seen

[crash_davis 23158]

This is why I have a few rules on my boat. You can only get in the water if you have a life jacket. Don't need to wear it, but it must be by you at all times. If you've been drinking, you must wear a life jacket in the water. And if we are un-anchored, we have ropes out so that people can hold onto the ropes to stay with the boat. On windy days and especially if the canopy is up, the boat will drift fast.

What a shitty way to go. I can imagine the panic and strength it took to swim with her 4 yr old son to get back to the boat. 

[Bevo 13637]

11 minutes ago, BigHorn'13 said:

That's the most dildo ish looking noodle I've ever seen

I bought two.

[Doc Reeves 6434]

I worked at a lake in HS asa lifeguard and on water security. This shit happens all the time. 
 

the story I remember the most was a guy and his family came in and rented a boat. They went on the lake at the engine cut out. This guys decides to take his vest off and hop in the water to look at the propeller but didn’t know how to swim. He drown 6’ away from 3 kids and his wife. They were taken to the boat dock to make a report and we were called to organize and search for the body. 
it was heart breaking listening and to the mother describe what happened while her smallest girl kept asking when daddy was coming back. At that moment one of the lifeguards came in with a big smile swinging one of the water cadaver hooks and said “let’s go find the floater!” The kids exploded into tears and they then we all did too. Dumbass just stood there with a shocked look. He was young and probably excited to tell his mommy he was doing a search for a dead guy. 
didn’t find him in the water, he washed up about a week later, the size of a cow.

[TwiceHorn 31686]

35 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I wouldn’t have guessed many young mothers with a 4 year old would rent a pontoon boat for the day and go out alone. Maybe that was their thing. I’m not implying anything, I just found that odd.

Yeah, two people out on the water, one of them a 4 year old, is bad idea jeans.

[Doc Reeves 6434]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Yeah, two people out on the water, one of them a 4 year old, is bad idea jeans.

Add and went swimming off the unanchored/unattended boat. If you do that you need to be swimming where you will be able to swim to shore in which case your boat might run aground. I feel so bad for her son.
 

[Nicole44 22197]

14 minutes ago, Doc Reeves said:

Add and went swimming off the unanchored/unattended boat. If you do that you need to be swimming where you will be able to swim to shore in which case your boat might run aground. I feel so bad for her son.
 

I agree. It’s just odd. Based on what she posted before. 

[dcar00 14609]

1 hour ago, Steamboat1874 said:

Anyone find it odd where and how she parked?

 

excellent social distancing..

[BabaYaga 15377]

Jesus, reminds me of that book (Not Without Hope) written about the three NFL players and the power lifter that had their boat invert in the Gulf of Mexico.  Wrenching to read as the 3 NFL players, with their minimal body fat, died one by one as they had to hold on to the inverted underside of the boat in the cold water....leaving the heavier power lifter alone for days on end in the choppy water.  

[gsoda3 3300]

had a scare a year ago almost exactly to the day.  was at an inland lake, 50 yards from the beach to the diving pier.  we'd been on the beach all day watching the kids play.  i hadn't had any alcohol but my water intake was really low.  my family agreed to watch my kids while i went for a swim.  i'm a good swimmer but haven't swum any meaningful distances in years.  i easily passed the lifeguard's mandatory swim test for anyone who wanted to get out to the pier.  first 30 yards were easy.  about 15 yards from the ladder i started cramping in both legs.  had to do an ugly version of the scull to the ladder.  i stayed on that dock for a good 20 minutes before diving in and backstroking back to shore.   

[BonzoMontreaux 1114]

Few years back, wife and I were in Key West at the Fort Zach beach.  I was trying out an open face snorkel mask.  My wife bought a couple of them of Amazon.  So, I make it out to the rock and I am gasping for air and not thinking clearly.  I give me self a few minutes thinking, well this thing just takes some getting used to... so I threw the mask back on.  I get about half way back and I am now in panic mode.  I ripped the mask off and basically flailed my way back to where I could touch.  I thought I was a goner.  I had been to that beach before and made several trips by just swimming to that same rock.  I don't think I have ever been so scared of dying.  

[atomheartbevo 90056]

Had a scare at Balmorhea a few years ago - some friends and I were diving down to the bottom and looking around.  We had masks/goggles, but I was the only one with fins.  We would go down, look around, etc., and then push off and swim back to the top.  One of my friends misjudged things, and thought he was pushing off the bottom, and instead his feet were touching nothing but grass, and he was out of breathe, and he panicked.  I managed to help him, but holy shit it was amazing how fast it went from him just swimming around to him thinking he's not going to make it to the surface.  My old lifeguard training kicked in, and I made damn sure to keep him at arm's length as I pushed him up, because I think he would have wrapped me up if he could have.