Naya Rivera’s 4-year-old son fell asleep, wearing his life jacket, when he was found alone on their charter ship – while the former “Glee” star’s protective vest was left seated inside, investigators and witnesses said Thursday.
The 33-year-old actress apparently went swimming in California’s Piru Lake with her son Josey Hollis Dorsey on Wednesday afternoon, and never made it out of the water, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
“We have no indication after talking to his son that Ms. Rivera made it to the beach,” Sergeant. Kevin Donoghue told reporters. “He gave enough information to conclude that his mother never made it back to the ship.”
Video evidence found from the dock shows that Rivera and her son were the only two on the boat – which were found on the water by the boat charter staff.
It is unclear how long the ship was unmanned when it was discovered.
There was “one life jacket on the ship and one in a 4-year-old boy,” Donoghue said, adding that Rivera’s wallet and ID were also found from the ship.
A man who came out at the marina on Wednesday explained to The Sun how employees found Josey asleep just before 5 pm. and “feed him, comfort him, and make him happy” until his relatives arrive.
“Josey fell asleep on the boat wearing a life jacket but Naya’s jacket sat on the chair,” the witness said, which is not mentioned in the report.
“Anyone aged 18 years or older is up to them whether it is a jacket or not, but it must be on the boat,” he said.
The man added: “Josey did not look upset, he might be a little too young to understand what was happening.”
He is now in the care of his family and is doing “as well as can be expected,” the authorities said.
Meanwhile, the search for his mother’s body continued with several diving teams, half a dozen ships and helicopters from the Sheriff’s and Coast Guard Department, combing the northern part of the lake “hoping to find clues or evidence of his disappearance,” Donoghue said.
“The focus of our search effort is on water now,” he added. “We will do everything we can to find it.
This is not the first time Rivera has gone out in the lake – where swimming is permitted – but it is unclear whether he was boating there with his son before.
There is no strong undercurrent in the body of water, although the temperature can sometimes go down to potentially cause hypothermia, said Donoghue, adding he did not know if that was the case here.
Poor lake visibility also affects search, as does the fact that investigators do not know exactly where Rivera is missing.
“If the body is trapped in something in the water, it might never appear,” Donoghue said.
