Naya Rivera at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards. Photo / Getty Images
Naya Rivera at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards. Photo / Getty Images
The world has seen the chilling images of the final hours of Glee star Naya Rivera's life but the photos give no clue to the biggest mystery surrounding that fateful day.
On July 8, the 33-year-old actress took her son Josey, 4, to Ventura County's Lake Piru in Southern California and hired a boat.
CCTV footage shows the actress pulling up at the lake in her black Mercedes, before getting out of the car with her son, and boarding the boat they hired.
The 16-minute long CCTV footage shows Rivera and her son on their way to the dock, and that is the last anyone would ever see of her.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office later revealed on Twitter that an autopsy showed Rivera died from drowning, and was described as an "accident". Dental records helped identify the actress.
On July 8, the same day Rivera rented the boat and went missing, her son Josey was found alone on the boat by fellow boaters. He had Rivera's purse, wallet and life jacket.
It is believed by police that Rivera's unanchored boat drifted away from the actress and her son while they were swimming in the lake.
Ventura County's Sheriff Bill Ayub said that Rivera "mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat but not enough to save herself".
Tributes to Naya Rivera at Lake Piru, California on August 3, 2020. Photo / AP
"Her son described being helped into the boat by Naya, who boosted him onto the deck from behind," Ayub continued. "[Her son] told investigators that he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water."
According to the initial 911 call and reports from local authorities, the little boy recalled taking a swim with his mum on Wednesday afternoon local time, before returning to the vessel alone.
In the investigative report later obtained by People, Josey said that his mother had counted "1, 2, 3" as they jumped off the boat together to swim in the lake.
"She helped him onto the boat and he then heard [Naya] yell 'help' and she put her arm in the air. She then disappeared into the water," the investigative report states.
The report also outlined factors that may have contributed to Rivera's mysterious death, which was been ruled as an accident. The actress suffered from vertigo – a condition that would get worse when she was in water.
Rivera "would have vertigo to the point of vomiting, but she learned to control the symptoms with antihistamines", the report states, as per People. She had previously sought hospital treatment for the condition.
Rivera's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey, 37, dedicated a post to the actress following her death.
"This is so unfair … there's not enough words to express the hole left in everyone's hearts," Dorsey, who was married to Rivera from 2014-2018, wrote. "I can't believe this is life now. I don't know if I'll ever believe it."
"You were just here," he added, noting that Rivera and Josey had gone swimming at Dorsey's house the day before her disappearance.
He continued: "I'm thankful for our times and our journey that brought us together and gave us the sweetest and kindest smart little boy we could ever hope for."
In September, Dorsey moved in with Rivera's younger sister Nickayla Rivera, 25, to help care for his son.
The move sparked rumours among fans, who accused the pair of engaging in a romantic relationship.
Dorsey later took to Instagram to address the situation in an emotional video.
The actor revealed in the black-and-white video he was in disbelief he had to address "any of this nonsense".
"I usually don't read comments on my own stuff because I know how there can be 50 good things said and five negative ones. Somehow as humans we get those five negative ones stuck in our heads wondering how people could say certain things," Ryan said.
"S*** man, I wish I was worried about a relationship right now. Not thinking about this and living with this every day.
"I think to myself how lucky I am to still have my mom and still have her help out in my life still.
"Then I think about how he won't have that same opportunity in his future. It makes me beyond sad. I ask myself why? What did he do to deserve this? I know he didn't do anything to deserve this, but the things people have said are sad."
"[Josey] asks me if Titi can live with us. 'I want Titi to live with us forever,' because she's now the closest thing he has to a mom. You're going to need all the help you can get as a single parent trying to build your career and navigate this disaster with your child," Ryan said.
While "it's temporary and it's not forever", Dorsey wanted to give Josey the family he was asking for.
He praised Nickayla for everything she had done to help.
"To have a young woman who is his blood, his Titi, who is willing to put her life on hold and sacrifice things, uproot her situation for the betterment of your child," Ryan said.
"So when you put your child to bed you don't always have to be alone with your thoughts and you don't have to be sad any day or night wondering when does it get better. At least you have someone there with you to talk to or just sit in silence and be sad with. You don't have to deal with being completely alone."
Dorsey ended his video hoping others will "think twice before they go insert their opinion and jump to conclusions. Think about sending people DMs wishing death upon strangers who are dealing with so much that they know absolutely zero about".
In November, Dorsey filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of his son Josey, alleging the boat she was in didn't comply with safety standards.
