Naya Rivera and son
An autopsy issued by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that actress Naya Rivera died as a result of drowning.
The ‘Glee’ star’s death was also ruled an accident.
“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,” the office said in a press release.
Rivera, 33, vanished last week from Lake Piru in Southern California’s Ventura County. She went to the lake that afternoon and rented a pontoon boat with her four-year-old son, according to authorities.
Her son was later found asleep alone on the boat they’d rented. Her body was recovered on Monday morning.
Authorities said there is no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in her death, but toxicology testing will be done.
Following news of her death, Rivera’s former co-stars and friends shared tributes on social media.
On Tuesday, the creators of Fox’s ‘Glee’ said in a statement they were “heartbroken” over the death of the actress, who played Santana Lopez on the programme for six seasons.
In a statement, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan recalled how Rivera was not a series regular when she was cast on the show. In fact, she only had a few lines.
“But it didn’t take more than an episode or two for us to realize that we had lucked into finding one of the most talented, special stars we would ever have the pleasure of working with,” their statement said.
CNN