Actress Naya Rivera, best known for her role on the hit show "Glee", is feared to have drowned during a boating trip with her son in Lake Piru in Ventura County on July 8.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, authorities are now investigating the disappearance of the actress at the Southern California lake and they labeled it as a tragic accident.

 Missing actress

Deputy Chris Dyer said in a news conference on July 9 that they are hoping for the best but they are also preparing for the worst. Although the actress vanished on the evening of July 8, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said that they would continue to search for her on the morning of July 9.

Rivera went to Lake Piru on the afternoon of July 8 and she rented a boat with her 4-year-old son. Both of them were seen going out on the lake together, according to Sheriff's Capt. Eric Buschow.

Three hours after their boat left the dock, another boater saw a boat drifting with a child asleep onboard. The police were notified and they began searching from air and with a dive team, as reported by CNN. 

Although it was difficult to get any information on what happened, Rivera's son said that they went swimming but Rivera was not able to make it back to the boat. He said that the child had a life vest on but the adult life vest, which they presumed was for the actress, was on the boat. The child did not suffer any injuries and is now with his family.

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Meanwhile, the boat that Rivera rented was found on the north end of the Lake Piru. Dyer said that the wind is usually a factor in the area, the lake is 40 feet deep and the bottom has a lot of debris.

Support and prayers

Rivera is best known as Santana Lopez on the Fox show "Glee" that ran for 6 years from 2009. She was also on the CBS sitcom "The Royal Family" and the comedy film "The Master of Disguise." The incident took social media by storm, and her former "Glee" cast-mates and friends tweeted and posted about the news, wishing for her safe return.

Actor Harry Shum Jr., Rivera's co-star on "Glee" shared his concern on Twitter and said that he was praying for some good news. Actress Jackee Harry tweeted a scene that she shared with Rivera on the sitcom "The Royal Family" when Rivera was just 4-years-old.

Rivera's former publicist, Zack Teperman, said that he was shocked by the tragic incident. He posted on social media about the times that he had with the actress, and that he is hoping the news is not true. Teperman added that Rivera was one of the first people that he worked within Hollywood and they were together during Rivera's "Glee" days.

Singer Demi Lovato, who guest-starred on "Glee" also posted about the actress, hoping for her safe return. Actress Heather Morris who played Rivera's love interest on the show posted on Instagram, also sending her prayers, hoping that the actress will be found safe. Rivera publicly dated rapper Big Sean and she was also previously married to actor Ryan Dorsey.

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