The prevailing theory about Naya Rivera’s untimely death is that she and her son, Josey Dorsey, found themselves in a precarious situation on Lake Piru. However, Rivera tried her best to overcome. According to People, Rivera “helped him onto the boat and then he then heard [Naya] yell ‘help’ and she put her arm in the air.” Unfortunately, Josey bore witness to and recounted his mother’s tragic final moments. “He and Naya swam in the lake together,” shared Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub. “It was during that time that her son described being helped onto the boat by Naya … He told investigators he looked back and saw her disappear under the surface of the water.”
A few weeks after Rivera’s death, Ryan Dorsey revealed that her and Josey went swimming with him one day before she died. “I can’t believe this is life now,” Ryan posted to Instagram in July 2020. “I don’t know if I’ll ever believe it. You were just here… We were just in the back swimming with Josey the day before.” Ryan then expressed gratitude for the time they got to spend together as a couple and the result: their son, Josey. Ryan also vowed to keep Rivera’s spirit alive for their then-4-year-old child. “Life is all about good times and bad times but with Josey it makes the bad a little less so because a part of you will always be with us,” Ryan added. “He’ll never forget where he came from.”
