Co-stars, friends and fans of Naya Rivera are continuing to hope for the best. After the news broke late Wednesday evening that the 33-year-old Glee star had gone missing following a boating outing with her 4-year-old son, Josey, many took to social media to pray for her safe return.
Heather Morris, Rivera’s onscreen wife who played Brittany S. Pierce on Glee, posted to her Instagram Story on Wednesday, “We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us. We need your love and light.”
Demi Lovato — who had a guest role on Glee as Dani, the short-lived love interest of Rivera’s Glee character, Santana Lopez — also posted in her Instagram Stories, sharing a photo of a lit candle and writing, “Please pray for @nayarivera to be found safe and sound.”
Harry Shum Jr., who played Mike Chang on Glee, tweeted on Wednesday, “Praying.”
Iqbal Theba, who played Principal Figgins on the series, retweeted a news story about Rivera being a possible drowning victim, writing, “Oh God… mercy… please…”
Jackée Harry, who co-starred with Rivera on The Royal Family, posted a sweet throwback clip of the then-child star, writing, “Prayers up for the lovely Naya Rivera. We starred alongside one another in her first very television series, The Royal Family, and I’ve watched her career blossom ever since. Please God, don’t cut this life short.”
Victoria Justice tweeted, “Praying for Naya,” while Tika Sumpter wrote, “Praying for Naya Rivera. I hope she’s OK.”
Reality star Bethenny Frankel later tweeted, “The story about @NayaRivera is the most horrifying thing I have read about in a while. My heart goes out to her family. What a terrible trauma….”
Andy Cohen also posted, “Praying for Naya Rivera and her family. Can’t stop thinking of her poor son.”
Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi tweeted: “Waking up to Naya Rivera missing is an absolute tragedy. Praying for her safety???? So absolutely heartbreaking thinking of her 4 year old. #FindNaya”
Rivera and her son went missing after taking a boat ride at Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County, California, on Wednesday, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed.
The Sheriff’s Department told NBCLA that the mother and son rented a boat at around 1 p.m.
Approximately three hours later, another boater discovered her young son in the boat by himself. He told authorities that his mother went in the water for a swim, but never came back up or returned to the boat, 360aproko reports.
Officials told NBCLA that Rivera’s son was wearing a life vest while Rivera was not.
A search was immediately initiated with the use of helicopters, divers, and drones. The actress has not yet been found. Authorities reportedly believe Rivera to be dead.
On Thursday, authorities posted on Twitter that they were again out looking for the actress. “The search for Naya Rivera will continue this morning at Lake Piru. The lake will be closed to the public while search operations continue. Dive teams from throughout the region will be assisting us through mutual aid.”
