Search & Rescue Team Member Speculates About What May Have Happened to Naya Rivera in Lake Piru

UPDATE: A body has been found in Lake Piru on Monday (July 13). Find out what we know.

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Naya Rivera has been presumed dead after going missing while swimming in Lake Piru in California on Wednesday (July 8). Her son Josey, 4, revealed that she did not come back to the boat after going swimming.

Robert Inglis of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue Team did an interview where he revealed some details, including why they’re searching certain areas of the lake first.

“There was a picture sent to a family member that showed the boy on the boat by a cove,” Robert told Us Weekly, indicating that they started their search where that photo was taken, as well as at the north part of the lake where Josey was found in the boat.

“We did send our dive members to those two locations and searched those extensively,” he said, adding that most of the time, there are witnesses “who see someone jumping off a boat so we know which area to search and we can find the body more quickly. In this case, it really could be the whole lake. There are a lot of coves that have to be searched.”

The visibility in the lake has been so poor that “if you have a watch and you hold it in front of your mask, you can’t even read the numbers.”

“We are confident that we will locate her body,” he continued.

Robert added that he does not believe Naya made it out of the lake, saying, “As you get more north in the lake, there are steep hills and it’s covered with brush with bigger rocks. It would be very difficult to maneuver through that especially if you’re just wearing maybe a bathing suit.”

He then revealed what he believe could have happened, saying, “What I suspect is that the winds kicked up. Those pontoon boats are very light, and when you push them, it can get away from you. She might’ve tried to swim after the boat. But that’s all speculation. Once we do locate her, that’ll answer a lot more questions.”

The investigators have revealed they have a date in mind for when they may end their search, though it could keep going. Here’s the latest update on what happened when investigators searched the cabins surrounding the lake.