Naya Rivera died within minutes, according to her death certificate
Naya Rivera died within minutes, according to her death certificate.
Nearly three weeks after the Glee star drowned in a horrible accident in Ventura County's Lake Piru, the document was obtained by multiple media outlets, including The Blast and People magazine. The document confirms that the actress’s official cause of death is “drowning.” It also stated that she died within minutes (“mins”) and no other significant conditions contributed to her death.
It also revealed that Rivera, 33, was buried in a private service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in L.A. on Friday. That was 11 days after her body was found, on July 13 — five days after she disappeared on a boat trip with her 4-year-old son, Josey Dorsey.
Yahoo Entertainment has reached out to Ventura County’s public information officer and will update this story when we hear back.
Rivera had rented a pontoon boat for a three-hour excursion with her only child. However, when she didn’t return at the appointed time, a boat rental company employee went out to look for the boat and found it with just Josey aboard. The child, who was napping in his life jacket, told authorities they had been swimming and while he got back on the boat, she disappeared under the water. An adult life jacket, believed to be the one provided to Rivera by the rental company, was found aboard the boat.
It took five long days for responders to find Rivera’s body, which was obscured by shrubbery in the murky water that had low visibility. Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at a press conference that Rivera “must have mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat, but not enough to save herself.”
The Ventura County Medical Examiner announced July 14 that an autopsy had been conducted and Rivera's cause of death as drowning. It was deemed an accident and there was “no indication” drugs or alcohol played a role.
Rivera, who had experience boating on that lake, played cheerleader Santana Lopez on musical drama Glee for six seasons, from 2009 to 2015. She is one of three major stars from the show to die in recent years.
Rivera’s ex-husband — and Josey’s father — Ryan Dorsey broke his silence on social media about the accident one day after Rivera’s burial. The actor, who is now raising Josey solo, called the tragedy “so unfair” and said, “I don't know if I'll ever believe it.”
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