Naya Rivera: Missing Glee star feared dead on Lake Piru as today’s search wraps

Divers are yet to locate the body of Glee actress Naya Rivera in a southern California lake, as authorities give an update on the search.

The search for missing Glee actress Naya Rivera has finished its second day on a lake in southern California, as authorities attempt to piece together what happened to the star.

Rivera, 33, was reported missing on Thursday after her four-year-old son Josey was found asleep on a pontoon boat on Lake Piru, a reservoir located in Los Padres National Forest in California.

Deputy Chris Dyer said Rivera is now presumed dead, adding he believed a “tragic accident” happened.

Officials said this morning, local time, the search had become a “recovery operation” and recovering a body could take two to three days, or up to a week.

Rescue diver Max O’Brien told media at the end of the search today that visibility was proving an issue and divers were undergoing the search “through touch”.

RELATED: Glee star, 33, missing on lake after son found alone

He also noted very importantly there is not much of a current in the lake, which means anything that sinks to the bottom is not likely to change locations. This makes the search easier. However, there is a LOT of debris in the lake. Real needle in a haystack situation.

— Jeremy Childs (@Jeremy_Childs) July 10, 2020

The search will enter its third day at first light tomorrow.

It comes as police released CCTV footage of Rivera and Josey arriving at the lake and boarding the boat, as well as the 911 call reporting Rivera missing.

The caller mistakenly refers to Rivera’s child as a “little girl”.

“The emergency is we have a missing person, we found a little girl in one of the boats by themself and the mum’s nowhere to be found,” the caller says. “My husband was one of the people that was there, I’m going to find out more information, he just wanted to call it in.”

The operator is heard asking for the caller’s name before the line drops out.

Naya Rivera in 2018. Picture: Frederick M. Brown

Police said more than 100 people are involved in the search, which started at first light, using helicopters, boats, ATVs and officials on the ground.

According to the LA Times, Sargeant Kevin Donoghue said the lake was potentially “hypothermia” cold.

Journalists on the scene said the water is dark green and murky and authorities have told them they could be searching for days.

Josey was found wearing a life vest and is said to have told authorities he and his mother went swimming earlier in the day but Rivera failed to return to the boat.

Rivera’s son was discovered by another boater three hours after she had rented the craft.

The star’s vehicle, a black Mercedes G Wagon, was later found in the car park with her handbag inside.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s department, which is leading the operation, confirmed they had resumed the search as the sun rose above the Topatopa Mountains.

The lake is closed to the public as dive teams have been called in to help with the frantic search.

RELATED: Who is Glee star feared dead in lake accident?

The search for Naya Rivera will continue this morning at Lake Piru. The lake will be closed to the public while search operations continue. Dive teams from throughout the region will be assisting us through mutual aid. @VCAirUnit @Cal_OES @fillmoresheriff pic.twitter.com/q6LsHd8xaT

— Ventura Co. Sheriff (@VENTURASHERIFF) July 9, 2020

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Captain Eric Buschow, told the LA Times Josey was “in good health” following the ordeal.

“The family is going through a very traumatic time right now,” Captain Buschow said, later telling NBC LA: “This is considered to be a horrible accident.”

He said they were able to confirm Rivera’s identity after finding her wallet on-board the boat.

A police search is underway for Naya Rivera in Lake Piru. Picture: Fox 5

Naya Rivera’s son was found onboard the boat they had rented earlier that day. Picture: APEX / MEGA

The actress recently posted a message on her social media accounts, eerily writing that “tomorrow is not promised” along with a selfie.

“No matter the year, circumstance or strifes, every day you’re alive is a blessing. Make the most of today and every day you are given. Tomorrow is not promised,” the star posted to her 1.5 million Twitter followers last Friday.

RELATED: Glee star’s last Instagram post

Hapening now: Search for possible drowning victim at Lake Piru. @VCAirUnit @fillmoresheriff on scene. SAR Dive Team and PIO on the way.

— Ventura Co. Sheriff (@VENTURASHERIFF) July 9, 2020

Rivera was pictured out and about with her son in Los Feliz, California just last week, wearing a grey mask and matching cap and shirt as she ran errands with her little boy.

The mask included the message: “If you are reading this you are too close!”

Rivera’s life took a turn in late 2017 after she was arrested on domestic battery in 2017 against her ex-husband, actor Ryan Dorsey, who is the father of her child.

The search is going into its second day. Picture: BACKGRID

Dorsey claimed that Rivera struck him in the head and face, and hours after the alleged incident, her emotional court appearance was caught on camera for the world to see.

The charge was dropped after Dorsey told prosecutors he didn’t want to proceed.

Rivera had been arrested after an altercation during which she allegedly hit her husband at their West Virginia home. Law enforcement said at the time that alcohol was a factor in the incident.

E! reported that “Naya’s friends and family (were) very concerned for her wellbeing” following the explosive incident.

The pair were married in 2014 but finalised their divorce in 2018 and share joint custody of their four-year-old son.

Glee has been plagued by controversy, heartbreak and scandal, earning it the title of the “Glee curse”.

Glee’s leading man, Cory Monteith, who played Finn, died of a drug overdose in 2013 at the age of 31.

His co-star, Mark Salling, another series favourite in the role of Puck, killed himself in January 2018. He was 35.

Salling, who Rivera briefly dated, was awaiting sentencing on child pornography charges at the time of his death.