Glee alum Lea Michele deleted her Twitter account on July 11, after she received tweets from fans about the disappearance of her former costar Naya Rivera, who went missing during a boating trip with her son.
Rivera, 33, went missing on Wednesday, July 8, after going on a boating trip with her 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, Life & Style confirmed. As of Saturday, July 11, Rivera has not been found. Local authorities are on day five of the search and recovery mission for the singer, as she is presumed dead.
The actress rented a pontoon boat at Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, that morning and other boaters noticed it was adrift later that afternoon.
“At about 4 p.m., the 4-year-old boy was found by another boater, and he was by himself,” Ventura County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Captain Eric Buschow told In Touch in a statement. “That boater contacted rangers at the Lake. We were notified and the search began. Helicopters immediately flew out with the dive team and put divers in the water where she was last seen.”
Josey told investigators he and his mother went swimming, but Rivera never got back on the boat. On July 9, the sheriff’s office revealed the search for Rivera became a “recovery effort.”
Lake Piru is notoriously dangerous, especially because of its “strong winds” and “chilly water,” Buschow said. “These big reservoirs, there is a lot that goes on. There are plenty of currents,” he added. “People drown in California lakes every year.”
Celebrities and Rivera’s former Glee costars took to social media to mourn the news. Michele’s deactivation of her Twitter account comes after the Devious Maids actress shut down speculation of a feud during an interview on Watch What Happens Live in February 2019, saying they didn’t have “any beef,” despite belief otherwise.
In her 2016 memoir, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes and Growing Up, Rivera sounded off about their relationship while filming Glee.
“We are both strong-willed and competitive – not just with each other but with everyone – and that’s not a good mixture,” the star wrote. “As Santana moved from a background character to one with bigger plot lines and more screen time. I think Rachel – erm, I mean Lea – didn’t like sharing the spotlight.”
“She started to ignore me, and eventually it got to the point where she didn’t say a word to me for all of season 6,” the actress penned.
Last month, Michele, 33, issued a public apology after her other Glee costar Samantha Marie Ware called her out for bullying.
“Whether it was my privileged position and perspective that caused me to be perceived as insensitive or inappropriate at times or whether it was just my immaturity and me being unnecessarily difficult, I apologize for my behavior,” the expectant performer wrote on June 3.