CALIFORNIA ─ After 5 days of searching since Naya Rivera was first announced missing on July 8, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced that a body was found at Lake Piru on July 13. The authorities then stated that at 2 p.m. there would be a livestream at Lake Piru featuring Sheriff William Ayub.
In the livestream, the Sheriff confirmed, “based on the location where the body was found, physical characteristics of the body, clothing found on the body, and the physical condition of the body, as well as the absence of any other persons reported missing in the area, we are confident that the body we found is that of Naya Rivera.”
Ayub also stated that detectives from the major crimes bureau had been closely following the case and stated, “there was no indication of foul play and no indication that this was a suicide.”
An autopsy will be performed to determine Rivera’s cause of death and positive identification will be made through dental records.
The search itself was very intensive on all parties involved, including the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake Piru rangers, the Ventura County Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and more. There was also use of “sophisticated sonar equipment” in an attempt to aid the search for Rivera as well.
The news conference ended with Sheriff Ayub providing a brief timeline of the events and thanking the involved parties who helped with the search. The Ventura County Sheriff and other involved parties express their condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time.
