Naya Rivera‘s son Josey, 4, was able to tell authorities what his mother’s last word was before she drowned in California’s Lake Piru. “The child indicated that they entered the water and after he was back on the boat, she yelled ‘help’ and then went underwater,” according to the “opinion” section of the autopsy report obtained by HollywoodLife read. The report also re-confirmed the cause of her death as “drowning” and called it an “accident.”
Although the 33-year-old went missing on July 8, her official date of death is recorded on July 13 — the date her body was found. “According to wind records for the lake area, the high wind speed went up to 8 mph and there were wind gusts greater than 10 mph and up to as high as 21 mph on the afternoon.” The report also indicated that the area she was found in “had a depth at the lake of about 25-30 feet, with an underwater shelf nearby that was about 65-70 feet deep.”
Naya and Josey — her son with ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, 37 — could be seen parking and exiting her Mercedes G-Wagon SUV on July 8, heading towards the lake for a fun summer day. The Los Angeles native grew up about 20 miles from the Ventura County lake, and had reportedly been there often. Hours after the star went missing, her 4-year-old son was “found alone in the rented boat, sleeping” and “wearing a life vest” by another boater, the report explained.
“The autopsy findings are consistent with a drowning and the condition of the body is consistent with the time that she was submerged,” the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed in a July 14 statement. “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,” the office said the time. That was corroborated on page 2 of the full autopsy report.
Naya’s ex-husband Ryan mourned his former wife in an emotional post on July 25. “This is so unfair…there’s not enough words to express the hole left in everyone’s hearts. I can’t believe this is life now. I don’t know if I’ll ever believe it,” he wrote. “You were just here… We were just in the back swimming with Josey the day before. Life just isn’t fair. I don’t know what to say…I’m thankful for our times and our journey that brought us together and gave us the sweetest and kindest smart little boy we could ever hope for,” he also said. HollywoodLife has reached out for comment to a representative for Naya about the autopsy report.