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'Glee' actress Naya Rivera missing after boating on California lake

A child was found sleeping and alone on a boat on Ventura County's Lake Piru hours after the actress rented the boat, authorities said.
/ Source: NBC News

Authorities are searching a Southern California lake for "Glee" actress Naya Rivera, who officials believe went missing while swimming Wednesday.

The 33-year-old from Woodland Hills had been boating with her son on Lake Piru, Ventura County Sheriff's Department Capt. Eric Buschow said.

The actress rented a boat about 1 p.m, he said, and three hours, later authorities found her son napping alone on the vessel.

The child told officials that the pair had been swimming but that Rivera never returned, Buschow said. "There’s another adult life vest found on the boat," the captain said.

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Rivera on "Watch What Happens Live."Charles Sykes/Bravo / NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via

On Wednesday night, the department identified in a tweet Rivera as the person for whom they were searching until it became too dark. The department said the search would continue at "first light."

Lake Piru is about 56 miles north-northwest of Los Angeles.

A manager for Rivera had no immediate response Wednesday night.

Rivera is best known for playing Santana Lopez on "Glee," a high school glee club musical and comedy that ran on Fox from 2009 to 2015.

Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai Annual Luncheon
Rivera attends a luncheon on Nov. 06, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic

At least two "Glee" performers have died since the series' conclusion.

In 2018, 35-year-old Mark Salling, who faced up to seven years in prison for child pornography possession, was found dead in Los Angeles. Law enforcement sources said at the time that they believed he died by suicide.

In her 2016 book, "Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up," Rivera wrote about her struggle with the death of her "Glee" co-star Cory Monteith, who passed away in 2013 from a drug overdose.

"The Cory chapter really choked me up. I had (co-star) Kevin (McHale) come over and help me edit and we both had our moment," Rivera said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Last week, she tweeted, "Everyday you're alive is a blessing."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.