Found Deceased CA - Naya Rivera, "Glee Actress", missing from boat with son, 4, (fnd alive), Lake Piru, 9 July 2020

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I'm following. Whatever happened out there on the lake is heartbreaking. I also believe this was a terrible accident. I have swum in lakes, but don't like it. You don't know what's underneath, and one tends to feel "heavier" in fresh water than in salt water. I did read somewhere that Naya had been there before, that it was her "happy place" so I expect she has swum in that lake on previous occasions. Still, water is always unpredictable. Her poor little son....
 
I feel like any discussion of mental health issues is worthwhile because it helps to remove stigmas and shame about seeking help. We all want to empathize and sympathize. I see no sensationalizing here, only respectful contemplation.
 
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I think people are discussing the possibility of suicide because jumping off an unachored motor boat that you charted alone with a toddler to swim in dark deep water alone shows signs of not just poor judgment but perhaps intentionally dangerous behavior. It goes against every important rule of boat safety and water safety. You do wonder about someone's state of mind when they make dangerous decisions like that. Hence, people looking intently at the parking footage. Was this someone perhaps impaired who wasn't thinking straight in making these decisions?

<modsnip>
 
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comprehensive article

The boat was found in the area called "The Narrows" on the north end of the lake.

The boat was found on the north end of the lake where wind is often a factor in boating conditions.
Dyer said the depth of the lake can run anywhere from 6 to 40 feet and the bottom of the lake has a lot of debris.

The lake has tree branches and overgrowth so divers have been digging through downed trees and a heavy brush bottom.
"Under the water, it's a lot by feel again, a lot of shrubbery and sticks we have to break through. It's kind of a braille search," said Max O'Brien, Ventura County Search and Rescue diver. "This lake doesn't really have a current so anything that usually drops will stay; if it reaches the bottom, it will stay on the bottom."

Naya Rivera disappearance: What we know - CNN
 
I was a single mom.
I thought maybe the large white duffle was the boys pillow and or blankie. Snacks and drinks are a given with kids.
I know she was no doubt a cool mom to take him out on a boat. The water looks peaceful.
Maybe it seemed a fun choice and interested them both during this distancing thing.
So sad.
God speed. May they find her today.


MOO
She also grew up very close to this area and may have visited this lake as a child/teen herself so wanted to share this with her son.
 
The lake has tree branches and overgrowth so divers have been digging through downed trees and a heavy brush bottom.
"Under the water, it's a lot by feel again, a lot of shrubbery and sticks we have to break through. It's kind of a braille search," said Max O'Brien, Ventura County Search and Rescue diver. "
Respectfully snipped for focus and commentary response.

Kudos to the search and recovery divers doing this type of work. It takes tremendous skill, and nerves of steel.

Ugh....this is terrible.

Amateur opinion and speculation
 
<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

I think people are discussing the possibility of suicide because jumping off an unachored motor boat that you charted alone with a toddler to swim in dark deep water alone shows signs of not just poor judgment but perhaps intentionally dangerous behavior. It goes against every important rule of boat safety and water safety. You do wonder about someone's state of mind when they make dangerous decisions like that. Hence, people looking intently at the parking footage. Was this someone perhaps impaired who wasn't thinking straight in making these decisions?

<modsnip>

With all due respect, there is nothing at all "fishy" about this situation. There is absolutely no evidence that any crime was committed and there is no evidence that Naya was depressed or suicidal. In fact, everything I have seen is to the contrary, that she was happy in her life and was a loving mother who doted on her son.

Furthermore, there are many other threads on this site where folks trust the judgement of LEO and will defend that vigorously. I don't understand the difference here. Why the distrust of LEO to have all the facts? Why distrust their professional opinion that there is no indication of suicide or anything other than a tragic accident?

I don't find her behavior odd at all. I don't find it dangerous or reckless. I find it the actions of a single mother who was comfortable in a location, and overestimated her safety. We have all done that at one time or another.
 
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I feel like we will never know what really happened on that boat. It is hard to get the real story out of a 4 year old boy. Fantasy and reality lies close together and i feel like it is hard for such a young boy to accurately tell what happened to his mother. Jmo

This is a tragedy for everyone involved.
 
comprehensive article

The boat was found in the area called "The Narrows" on the north end of the lake.

The boat was found on the north end of the lake where wind is often a factor in boating conditions.
Dyer said the depth of the lake can run anywhere from 6 to 40 feet and the bottom of the lake has a lot of debris.

The lake has tree branches and overgrowth so divers have been digging through downed trees and a heavy brush bottom.
"Under the water, it's a lot by feel again, a lot of shrubbery and sticks we have to break through. It's kind of a braille search," said Max O'Brien, Ventura County Search and Rescue diver. "This lake doesn't really have a current so anything that usually drops will stay; if it reaches the bottom, it will stay on the bottom."

Naya Rivera disappearance: What we know - CNN
Prayers they are able to find her today.
Prayers also for all of these volunteer SAR divers.
Sounds like the lake is extremely difficult to move around in plus it is not a clear lake where you can see the bottom, as it sounds like vision is an obstacle also.
I don't envy them this task.
It is hard enough on them when they can find a missing body visually, but to be treading along and maybe "touch" or feel something " as their only way to locate someone, is extremely challenging for them.
 
<modsnip: quoted post was removed> I have never taken a boat safety class because it would never occur to me to do so. In fact, I would have just thought you could rent a boat and go. It wouldn't occur to me otherwise. And I can't swim well. But I have felt comfortable on boats. Comfortable enough, in fact, that the danger doesn't really occur to me. I am not a reckless or dangerous person. I just don't know what I don't know. As a result, I don't think we can accurately judge parenting skills here.

Is there evidence of a full "investigation"? Can you please provide a link to that? Because it seems to me, they are just conducting a recovery, nothing more. That says it all, sadly.
 
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This article mentions whirlpools:

News of the actress' disappearance prompted the launching of a Change.org petition that calls for warning signs to be posted at the lake.

"Naya Rivera is not the first, nor the last to go missing at Lake Piru," the petition says, adding that the body of water is "a very deep lake with very bad whirlpools. People have been asking for years for the city to put up warning signs for swimmers."

The petition, which had more than 6,600 signatures Thursday morning, claims local residents do not visit the lake "for this reason! Tourists have no idea what they're getting into."

Naya Rivera search update: Recovery efforts set to resume for missing 'Glee' actress at Ventura County lake
 
Just thinking out loud here...

I don't recall seeing if her cell phone was found on board.

If it was on board with her, they can at least check her history based on cell phone activity and narrow down the window of time between when it was last used and when the boat was located.

Even if she didn't use it to surf, hopefully she was taking pictures of her son on the boat that day. If you are cruising very slowly (or stopped), it is very easy to take pics.

It could help focus on a specific area to search in.

Even better if her location was turned 'on' and they can track backwards the path that she took once she left the dock.

I really hope this search doesn't go on for weeks. This must be agonizing for her family.

JMO
 
<modsnip: quoted post was removed> I have never taken a boat safety class because it would never occur to me to do so. In fact, I would have just thought you could rent a boat and go. It wouldn't occur to me otherwise. And I can't swim well. But I have felt comfortable on boats. Comfortable enough, in fact, that the danger doesn't really occur to me. I am not a reckless or dangerous person. I just don't know what I don't know. As a result, I don't think we can accurately judge parenting skills here.

Is there evidence of a full "investigation"? Can you please provide a link to that? Because it seems to me, they are just conducting a recovery, nothing more. That says it all, sadly.

I based my comments on the Sheriff's comment that implied their investigation is ongoing. "There's no evidence of foul play at this point," sheriff's Capt. Eric Buschow told reporters at the scene. "This may well be a case of drowning." The medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of death once she's found.
 
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I'm following. Whatever happened out there on the lake is heartbreaking. I also believe this was a terrible accident. I have swum in lakes, but don't like it. You don't know what's underneath, and one tends to feel "heavier" in fresh water than in salt water. I did read somewhere that Naya had been there before, that it was her "happy place" so I expect she has swum in that lake on previous occasions. Still, water is always unpredictable. Her poor little son....
I so agree. Call me crazy, or maybe attribute it to my having grown up and now owning a vacation home at the Jersey Shore, but I absolutely prefer the ocean to any lake. Especially at my beach which is flat, has a sandbar 10 yards or so out (where the water is again ankle deep, and is staffed with lifeguards every block and a half. And no way would I jump into the middle of a lake from a boat. All depends what we're used to I suppose.

And yes - that poor little boy. My heart breaks for him.
 

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