After saving her son’s life, only to lose her own, the official autopsy report surrounding actress Naya Rivera‘s death has been revealed. As Mamas Uncut previously reported, Rivera went missing on July 8 after she and her 4-year-old son Josey set sail on a rented pontoon boat on Lake Piru in Ventura County, California around 1:00 p.m.
It was hours later that staff members found Josey asleep and alone on the boat still wearing his life jacket and wrapped in a towel when Rivera never returned the rental. Based on what Josey was able to tell authorities, his mom saved him but couldn’t save herself.
“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. He told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water. […] 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.”
Now, Rivera’s autopsy results are being revealed.
According to E! News, who obtained the report on July 15, Ventura County Medical Examiner confirmed that the body found in Lake Pirus was in fact Rivera’s and determined that her cause of death was an accidental drowning.
“The autopsy findings are consistent with a drowning and the condition of the body is consistent with the time that she was submerged. No traumatic injuries or disease processes were identified at autopsy. There is no indication from the investigation or examination that drugs or alcohol played a role.”
As Sheriff Bill Ayub explained during a press conference, “there are a lot of currents on the lake that appear particularly in the afternoon,” likely when Rivera disappeared. As a result, a petition was created “calling for signs warning swimmers of its dangerous conditions,” even though swimming is allowed, People reported.
Josey is now being cared for by his father, Ryan Dorsey, who Rivera shared custody with after they divorced in 2018.