Visits: 47
What happened?
On Wednesday afternoon, Rivera rented a pontoon boat with her four-year-old son Josey at Lake Piru in Southern California. The boat was found on the north end of the lake, with Josey on board along with Rivera’s life jacket, purse, and identification. There was no sign of Rivera. Video from the dock shows her and Josey were the only two people who got on the boat.
Where does the investigation stand now?
Search efforts for Rivera began right away and continued until about 10 p.m. Wednesday, starting anew on Thursday and continuing now. Lake Piru’s low visibility and numerous plants and trees make for a “more complicated search”, according to Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Donoghue.
Donoghue also sates that there are “no signs of foul play,” but Rivera is presumed dead as of Thursday. “We’ve had no indication, after talking to her son, that Ms. Rivera made it to shore,” said Donoghue. “So the focus of our search efforts are in the water at this time.” Specialized dive teams from nearby Southern California counties are searching the lake for Rivera, along with helicopters, boats, drones, and an underwater sonar system.
Is Rivera’s son okay?
Josey is “happy and with family,” Donoghue said in a Thursday statement, adding that the four-year-old is “doing as well as can be expected.”
