Glee Star's Autopsy Says She Died Bravely Saving Her Son's Life
Topics: Celebrity, Naya Rivera
Lisa McLoughlin
Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Celebrity, Naya Rivera
Glee actress Naya Rivera's autopsy has revealed she died bravely saving her son's life after a trip to a Californian lake went tragically wrong two years ago.
The 33-year-old star died from accidental drowning after going missing at Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County on 8 July 2020.
Naya was first reported missing after she rented a boat for her and her son Josey. But just hours later, the then four-year-old was found in the boat asleep by himself, along with her life jacket, ID and purse. Naya was nowhere to been.
He later told investigators he and his mum had been swimming together, but that Naya didn't make it back into the boat. He said he had watched her disappear beneath the surface of the lake.
At the time, Police believed Naya 'mustered enough strength to save her son but not herself'.
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And now the actress’ autopsy, which was shared with PA in Los Angeles after her death, has confirmed what authorities have long said, that she bravely saved her son's life before losing her own.
The autopsy stated: "Shortly afterwards Rivera pushed the boy back onto the boat. When the child looked back, he saw his mother put her arm in the air and shout 'help'.
"Boat rental worker Bryan Tomaszewski went looking for the rented vessel when it was not returned on time and found Josey wrapped in a towel, wearing a life vest and asleep.
"A spare adult-sized life jacket was also on the boat, along with Rivera's possessions including her bag and mobile phone."
The report also confirmed that Naya, who was a strong swimmer, had no known medical history 'other than vertigo and a recent sinus infection'.
In May, Naya's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey posted a heartbreaking tribute to the late actress for Mothers Day, ahead of her two-year anniversary.
Ryan, who shares son Josey with her, told followers in an emotional post to Instagram that he has 'regrets', before urging them to hug their mums and grandmothers and 'forgive & forget, if you can'.
Sharing a collection of photos of Naya and Josey, and his own mum, Dorsey detailed how he spent Mother's Day this year – driving to the site of Naya's tragic passing.
He then went on to admit that when he arrived, he shed tears and talked to her 'about the dumb s**t that set us apart'.
The couple married in 2014 in a secret ceremony, not long after she split from her ex-fiancé Big Sean. A year later, the newlyweds welcomed their baby boy Josey Hollis Dorsey.
After four years of marriage, Naya filed for a divorce from Ryan in 2018. The pair went on to share custody of their son before her tragic passing in 2020.