Ventura County officials offers insight into what may have caused Naya Rivera’s drowning

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Heartbreak gripped Hollywood on Monday when Naya Rivera’s body was recovered in Lake Piru in California.

Her four-year-old son was found Wednesday drifting alone on a boat, which prompted the initial search-and-rescue mission before officials moved toward a recovery mission, believing the 33-year-old had drowned. 

While the recovered body has yet to be officially identified via dental records, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub says there’s no other evidence suggesting otherwise that it is not the Glee alum.

In a press conference on Monday, Ayub relayed what Rivera’s son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, told investigators regarding his mother’s disappearance.

Based on Josey’s information, Ayub says, “We believe it was mid-afternoon when [Rivera] went swimming, the idea being, perhaps, that the boat began drifting.”  He furthered that “she mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat but not enough to save herself.”

“[Her son] described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind,” Continued Ayub. “He looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water.”

As for what caused the boat to move away from Rivera and her son, a member of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue Team believes the weather played a factor.

Robert Inglis, who was part of the diving mission to recover Rivera’s body, told US Weekly, “What I suspect is that the winds kicked up. Those pontoon boats are very light, and when you push them, it can get away from you. She might’ve tried to swim after the boat.” 

While her son was wearing a life jacket, an adult-sized life vest was found in the vessel. 

Inglis stated that swimming or jumping off a boat without wearing a life vest contributes to “a lot of the drownings” at lakes.

By Megan StoneCopyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.