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Fox's Glee actress Naya Rivera, who accidentally drowned in a lake in California, will feature on ID's highly-anticipated docuseries The Price of Glee. The musical comedy-drama TV series has been a breeding ground for controversies and tragedies, especially surrounding its renowned cast.
ID's three-part series will dive into the deaths of three actors - Cory Monteith, Mark Salling, and Rivera, who played Santana Lopez in the hit musical series. The documentary premieres on January 16, 2023, at 9 pm ET.
In July 2020, famed Glee actress and divorced mother-of-one Naya Rivera, 33, rented a pontoon boat on lake Piru for an outing with her four-year-old son Josey. However, she drowned in the deep waters. Five days later, her body was discovered floating in a 30-foot-deep stretch of the lake.
Authorities asserted that Rivera accidentally drowned and that her body was stuck in dense vegetation and debris underwater for many days before her body floated to the surface. Later, an autopsy revealed that she was a good swimmer, thus confirming that her death was accidental.
According to The Guardian, Josey said that he heard his mother cry for help as she attempted to get back on the boat before disappearing into the deep waters.
An autopsy report claimed that Glee star Naya Rivera was a considerably "good swimmer"
According to PEOPLE, Naya Rivera's autopsy report asserted that the actress was a "good swimmer." The investigative report reportedly stated that Rivera's 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, claimed that on July 8, they counted "1, 2, 3" and jumped off the pontoon boat at Lake Piru before his mother disappeared into the water and drowned.
Josey, who was in shared custody with Rivera's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, claimed that his mother instructed him to return to the boat after the mother-son duo jumped into the water.
Rivera reportedly "helped him onto the boat and then he heard [Naya] yell "help," and put her arm in the air" moments before disappearing into the water. The actress had a history of vertigo "that would get worse when she was in the water."
The investigative report stated:
"The decedent would have vertigo to the point of vomiting, but she learned to control the symptoms with antihistamines."
The autopsy report noted that the actress was also "considered a good swimmer." The cause of Naya Rivera's death was determined to be drowning, and the manner of death was determined to be an accident.
A toxicology report further revealed that the actress had low levels of amphetamine (Adderall, Dexedrine), diazepam, ethanol, and phentermine (an appetite suppressant) in her blood at the time of her death. She also had coffee in her system, and her blood alcohol level was 0.016.
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed by Naya Rivera's ex-husband on behalf of her young son and estate
Lake staff discovered Josey sleeping alone aboard the boat after it was noted that the boat failed to return to the launch dock after its three-hour deadline. The child was reportedly wearing a life jacket, and there was still one adult life jacket on the boat, which was presumably the one given to Rivera. Authorities declared her death a day later, and her disappearance was termed "a horrible accident."
Authorities spent days scouring the lake's waters with the assistance of dive teams and sonar equipment, but the lake's dismal conditions hindered their attempts. Finally, on July 13, officials found a body in the lake, five days after Naya Rivera went missing, following which she was pronounced dead.
Within months, Rivera's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, the boy's father and guardian, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her estate and her son Josey Hollis Dorsey against Ventura County and the managers of Lake Piru.
The lawsuit claimed that there was carelessness at play, given that the pontoon boat lacked a ladder that could be accessed safely, a radio, a rope, an anchor, or any other tool that may prevent swimmers from getting cut off from the boat. Moreover, it was missing a life jacket, other flotation, and lifesaving equipment.
Tune in to The Price of Glee this Monday, January 16, at 9 pm ET on ID.
