The star, who is best known for her fan-favourite role as Santana Lopez on Glee (2009-2015), rented a pontoon boat on Lake Piru on Wednesday afternoon (8 July) with her son.
A passerby contacted authorities after finding Josey alone and asleep in the boat, where police also found Rivera’s life jacket and her car parked nearby on shore.
According to TMZ, Josey told investigators that his mother jumped in the water and didn’t return. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department scoured the area until dark, but no trace of her was found.
The search will continue today. In a statement, Captain Eric Buschow – spokesperson for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – said: “Indications are that we believe she did go in the lake.