'Glee' star Naya Rivera presumed drowned

Authorities say former "Glee" star Naya Rivera is presumed to have drowned after going missing near Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Gloria Tso reports.

Authorities say former "Glee" star Naya Rivera is presumed to have drowned after going missing near Los Angeles on Wednesday (July 8).

Rivera, who played cheerleader Santana Lopez in the hit TV show, had rented a boat on Lake Piru with her four-year-old son Wednesday.

Security video handout from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department shows Rivera and her son headed for the boat Wednesday afternoon.

The boy was later found sleeping alone on the drifting boat, telling authorities they had both gone swimming but that his mother never returned.

On Thursday (July 9) a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff's office said the search for Rivera's body is still ongoing -- but she is presumed to have drowned.

"We're presuming that an accident happened, and we're presuming that she drowned in the lake." More than 100 people have been involved in the search for Rivera so far.

Officials said there was no indication of foul play- but it was too soon to say exactly what happened.

Sargeant Kevin Donoghue said that visibility was poor in the 30-foot deep area where the boat was found, with multiple trees and plants underwater.

He added that the search would resume on Friday.

Glee, a musical TV drama about a high school choir, was one of the biggest hits in pop culture 10 years ago.

But it has seen its share of real-life tragedies.

Actor Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose in 2013, and co-star Mark Salling killed himself in 2018 - after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.