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Naya Rivera’s father reveals he warned her not to go swimming the day she drowned at Lake Piru

Headshot of Lily Hoffmann
Lily HoffmannThe West Australian
Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez in Glee.
Camera IconNaya Rivera as Santana Lopez in Glee. Credit: Supplied

Naya Rivera’s father has revealed a tragic new detail about the day his famous daughter accidentally drowned last year.

Rivera’s father George has shared details of the “heartbreaking” final FaceTime call between himself and his famous daughter, where she asked him if it was safe to swim in the conditions at Lake Piru just hours before she was declared missing.

The alarm was raised on July 8 last year after Josey was found sleeping alone in his life jacket on the pontoon boat Rivera had rented for the pair.

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Josey later told local authorities that his mother had managed to help him aboard but disappeared into the water before being able to lift herself up.

Josey’s grandfather revealed to People magazine that his “stomach was just cringing” when Rivera showed him the conditions via video call.

“I could see that the wind was blowing,” he said.

“I kept telling her ‘don’t get out of the boat! Don’t get out of the boat! It will drift away when you’re in the water’.”

Naya Rivera with her son, Josey Dorsey.
Camera IconNaya Rivera with her son, Josey Dorsey. Credit: @nayarivera/Instagram

The boat Rivera had rented did not have an anchor.

“It was just heartbreaking,” he said.

“I had this bad feeling that was just killing me.”

On July 13, the 33-year-old’s body was found floating — with an autopsy later confirming she died by accidental drowning. Her son told authorities that he did not believe his mother was wearing a life jacket when they went for a swim.

The star's body was brought in from the lake by boat, with authorities concealing it beneath an orange tarp.
Camera IconThe star's body was brought in from the lake by boat, with authorities concealing it beneath an orange tarp. Credit: KTLA

“It’s still pretty much a big blur of pain almost a year later,” George shared.

“Things are slowly coming a little more into focus, but I don’t know if I’ll ever find closure from this. I miss her every day.”

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