Five days after Naya Rivera went missing and was confirmed dead by police, some of her Glee co-stars got together to hold a vigil for the actress. ABC News 7 showed aerial footage of the area around the lake on July 13, including a shot of several people holding hands by the edge of the water. Although the group was shot from behind, it was later confirmed that Heather Morris was amongst the mourners who gathered, according to People. Ventura County Sheriffs Dept. confirmed those close to Naya did congregate at the lake following the news that a body had been found. “There were some here this morning, they came to the waters edge to pray, shortly thereafter she was located.
Naya went missing while boating with her four-year-old son, Josey Dorsey, on the lake on July 8. Officials found Josey asleep on the boat hours after Naya had rented out the vessel. The child told authorities that his mother had gone for a swim and didn’t come back on the boat. A search for the 33-year-old began immediately. Once the news was confirmed that Naya’s body had been found, her Glee co-stars took to social media to share their memories and grief over losing her.
One day after Naya went missing, officials confirmed that she was presumed to have drowned in the lake. Still, Glee cast members and fans held out hope that she would be found. On July 13, five days after Naya disappeared, rescuers retrieved a body from the lake and plan to reveal the identity during a press conference at 5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT.
Naya played Santana Lopez on the Fox show from 2009 until 2015. She was a series regular. After Naya went missing, her co-star and on-screen love interest, Heather Morris, took to social media to beg for prayers from fans. However, many other co-stars did not speak out publicly, which received some attention from online haters.
It was Amber Riley who eventually shut down the critics who were calling her out for not posting about Naya’s disappearance on social media. “Show some respect,” she tweeted on July 12. “All our energy is going toward helping find Naya and praying for her safe return and ofr her family. No one owes anyone online a performance of grief. This is very real and devastating. Focus on Naya and her family. Not us. We don’t matter right now.”
Naya split from her son’s father, Ryan Dorsey, in 2017. He was photographed caring for Josey on July 9, and was pictured breaking down in tears as he joined in on the search efforts at Lake Piru with Naya’s family on July 11. Our thoughts are with Naya’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.