"Glee" Star Naya Rivera, Still Missing After Disappearing In Lake Piru

Naya Rivera started her acting career as a child. She was four years old when she starred in a sitcom in the early 90s, a role that would kick start her career in television.

Much of Naya's later childhood years and adolescence were then spent playing small roles in popular shows including "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Smart Guy," and Nickelodeon classic, "Even Stevens." However, her big break came in 2009 when smash hit show "Glee" cast her as Santana Lopez, a main character that was openly lesbian.

The role shone the spotlight on Naya's singing and dancing talents, things that her bit parts from years before failed to do. Her portrayal of one of primetime's first positively portrayed lesbian characters garnered her admiration from fans and critical acclaim alike, thus propelling her career forward. Nominations and awards soon followed, as well as a record deal and her film debut.

Meanwhile, some of her non-Hollywood endeavors include a memoir called "Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, And Growing Up," a public service announcement focusing on the effects of immigration on families, partnerships with several charitable organizations, and a web series on YouTube.

As for her personal life, Naya married fellow actor Ryan Dorsey in 2014 and gave birth to their one and only son, Josey Hollis, a year after. The marriage was short-lived, however, and Naya and Ryan filed for divorce two years after. The parents decided on joint custody of Josey, with Naya maintaining an incredibly close relationship with Ryan over the years.

The little boy often makes appearances on his mom's Instagram account; their photos together often show them hanging out at home, bonding over holidays (Halloween, especially!), and enjoying out of town trips together.

Tragically, the mother and son's happy times together could have come to an end this month when Naya was reported missing, possibly due to a swimming accident that has so far had no witnesses except Josey.

As several news outlets have reported, Naya and Josey were out on a trip to Lake Piru on July 8, Wednesday, a popular but relatively uncrowded summer destination in Southern California.

Lake Piru is actually a reservoir and features over 200 campsites, a handful of restaurants, as well as facilities where visitors can rent boats, fishing gear, and picnic essentials. Despite being a relatively peaceful body of water unaffected by strong currents or severe weather conditions that could pose a threat to those on the water, incidents of drowning are not unheard of.

Two days ago, Naya took Josey to the lake, seemingly to enjoy an afternoon together. Based in LA, the lake was 50 miles away from their home. It's unclear whether they intended to stay overnight (no reports from Lake Piru resorts have surfaced to confirm this), however, it's known that Naya rented a pontoon boat for her and Josey at 1 .p.m.

The rental was only good for three hours, so when the resort that owned the boat noted that she had not returned by 4.p.m., it sent out an employee to search for her. The employee reportedly located the pontoon boat at the lake's northern side but was greeted with a mysterious sight.

The employee found only Josey in the boat with no signs of Naya anywhere. Drowning appeared to be the most plausible cause of her disappearance given that no signs of struggle were found on the boat, and two life vests were found; Josey had on one, while the other was left on deck.

When questioned by authorities, Josey narrated the events leading up to his mother's disappearance. He said that he and his mother had been out for a swim, but that she did not return to the boat. To validate Josey's account, detectives searched CCTV footage from the resort that Naya had rented a boat from, and it corroborated Josey's narration; only he and his mom, no one else, went out to the lake. They were unaccompanied.

Search operations began as soon as the resort employee raised the alarm. They continued up to 10 p.m. of the evening of July 8. Many of Naya's friends and supporters expressed ire towards rescuers' decision to pause operations, expecting them to continue searching for Naya until her body, or at least substantial clues, are found. Rescuers explained, however, that water search and rescue operations become unsafe for divers after dark, and considering the thickness of Lake Piru's lake bed flora, an additional threat could be posed to divers should they get tangled or lose their way.

The problem of Lake Piru's thick foliage could likewise affect Naya's chances of being found, according to detectives on the case. If in the beginning, they had looked for a body on the water's surface or that had washed up ashore, Lake Piru's underwater flora mixed with debris from the surrounding woodland could have entangled the body, causing it to be unable to float up. The spot on the lake thought to be where Naya might have disappeared was measured to be 30 feet deep.

No other witnesses except Josey, if any, have come forward about what they might have seen. Authorities have also ruled out the possibility of foul play due to the lack of evidence of a struggle between Naya and another person or persons, or any physical damage on the boat. As of this writing, they've said with definiteness that Naya is presumed dead.

Naya was presumed dead on Thursday, a day after her disappearance, despite about 100 people joining in rescue efforts.

Josey is now in the care of his father, Ryan. Reports have not described what state Josey is in, or if he has since added more information to his initial narrative of the tragic afternoon with his mom.

Authorities did not express confidence in finding Naya alive. How long search and rescue operations will continue on the current scale it's on has likewise not been specified.