Footage is released in underwater hunt for Naya Rivera as her family say they ‘need closure’ 

Naya Rivera’s distraught mom has been pictured crumpled on the banks of the lake as the search for the missing Glee star entered its fourth day and authorities released footage of the nightmarish underwater hunt. 

A woman believed to be Rivera’s mother Yolanda was pictured kneeling with her arms outstretched in desperation in front of Lake Piru in Ventura near Los Angeles on Saturday. 

Police told the media the woman and the man stood by her side in the heartbreaking image are the mother and brother of Rivera, 33, who disappeared while out boating on the lake with her 4-year-old son Josey on Wednesday. 

Josey was found alone in a rental boat Wednesday evening with no sign of his mother, who is now presumed dead. 

Footage has been released in the underwater hunt for Rivera’s body as authorities warn she could be found ‘five minutes from now or five days from now’ and her devastated family say they ‘need closure’.   

Naya Rivera’s distraught mom has been pictured (above with Rivera’s brother) crumpled on the banks of the lake as the search for the missing Glee star entered its fourth day and authorities released footage of the nightmarish underwater hunt

Footage has been released in the underwater hunt (pictured) for Rivera's body as authorities warn she could be found 'five minutes from now or five days from now'. Authorities point to a tree limb which looks like nothing more than a long dark shape given the water's poor visibility, highlighting the challenges divers are facing in the search

Footage has been released in the underwater hunt (pictured) for Rivera’s body as authorities warn she could be found ‘five minutes from now or five days from now’. Authorities point to a tree limb which looks like nothing more than a long dark shape given the water’s poor visibility, highlighting the challenges divers are facing in the search 

Ventura County Sheriff’s Department shared footage of the ‘difficult’ search for the missing actress on Twitter Friday night, which has been hampered by the poor visibility of the lake’s murky waters. 

The video shows the imagery picked up around 30 foot deep in the water.

In it, authorities point to a tree limb which looks like nothing more than a long dark shape given the water’s poor visibility, highlighting the challenges divers are facing in trying to find the missing mother-of-one.  

‘Here’s an example of the underwater visibility at a 30-foot depth in Lake Piru,’ the Sheriff’s Department tweeted.  

A second social media post shows footage of the a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) being lowered into Lake Piru and details that specialized equipment including sonar, divers and dogs have also been deployed in the hunt.

‘Here’s the ROV used by @TulareSheriff in the search for Naya Rivera at Lake Piru today,’ the Sheriff’s Department wrote.     

The search for the Glee star, 33, (pictured) entered its fourth day Saturday following her disappearance while out boating at Lake Piru in Ventura near Los Angeles with her 4-year-old son Josey

The search for the Glee star, 33, (pictured) entered its fourth day Saturday following her disappearance while out boating at Lake Piru in Ventura near Los Angeles with her 4-year-old son Josey

The video shows the imagery picked up around 30 foot deep in the water

The video shows the imagery picked up around 30 foot deep in the water

A second social media post shows footage of the ROV being lowered into Lake Piru

A second social media post shows footage of the ROV being lowered into Lake Piru

Crew drop the ROV into the water in the hunt for the missing mother-of-one

Crew drop the ROV into the water in the hunt for the missing mother-of-one 

With almost zero visibility, human divers are resorting to search by feel, meaning it could take several days before crews can locate her body, Eric Buschow, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said at a press conference Friday evening.

‘We don’t know if she’s going to be found five minutes from now or five days from now, so we’re still going to be continuing this effort,’ he said.

‘The visibility in the water is one to two feet,’ Buschow added. 

Buschow said ‘promising’ images had shown up on the sonar Thursday night but when the ROV was dropped into the water the objects turned out not to be Rivera.  

‘What they do is they go out and they tow these devices in the water that scan the bottom of the lake for any objects that might look like a body.

‘Last night, they had a couple of images that showed up on the sonar that they thought might be promising to investigate,’ he said. 

Ventura County Sheriff Department senior deputy Larry Hanson looks at the surface of the Lake Piru from a boat as the search continued Friday

Ventura County Sheriff Department senior deputy Larry Hanson looks at the surface of the Lake Piru from a boat as the search continued Friday

A search boat out on the lake, where the Glee star vanished Wednesday

A search boat out on the lake, where the Glee star vanished Wednesday 

With almost zero visibility, human divers are resorting to search by feel

With almost zero visibility, human divers are resorting to search by feel

The Sheriff's Department continue their hunt for Rivera Friday (above) before it resumed at 6a.m. Saturday

The Sheriff’s Department continue their hunt for Rivera Friday (above) before it resumed at 6a.m. Saturday

‘This morning, they sent an ROV, or a small robotic device, down into the water to examine those objects. Unfortunately, they did not locate Naya Rivera. They are still searching.’ 

Buschow admitted the conditions of the lake made the search ‘difficult’ but said he is confident Rivera’s body will be recovered. 

‘It’s very effective,’ he said of the sonar system. 

‘They get a really detailed image and they can go down and focus on specific things rather than putting divers in the water where they’re literally feeling around because they can’t see.’ 

The search resumed at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, with authorities now focusing on the north and east sides of the lake, based on where the boat was found and the currents of the water. 

It could take several days before crews can locate her body, Eric Buschow, Ventura County Sheriff's Office spokesman said at a press conference Friday evening (pictured)

It could take several days before crews can locate her body, Eric Buschow, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office spokesman said at a press conference Friday evening (pictured)

A search helicopter is seen over the lake. Buschow said 'promising' images had shown up on the sonar Thursday night but when the ROV was dropped into the water the objects turned out not to be Rivera

A search helicopter is seen over the lake. Buschow said ‘promising’ images had shown up on the sonar Thursday night but when the ROV was dropped into the water the objects turned out not to be Rivera

This diagram shows where Naya Rivera and her son rented a boat on Lake Piru before the four-year-old was seen alone. The map in the top left shows the location of the lake in relation to Los Angeles where Rivera lives

This diagram shows where Naya Rivera and her son rented a boat on Lake Piru before the four-year-old was seen alone. The map in the top left shows the location of the lake in relation to Los Angeles where Rivera lives 

A specially-trained dog is also being used in the search to sniff above the water’s surface and alert handlers to a body beneath. 

Authorities confirmed the mission had shifted to a recovery Thursday as hope of finding Rivera alive vanished.  

The actress’s distraught family said they just ‘wish’ she could be found so they could get some ‘closure’ over what is believed to have been a tragic drowning accident. 

A man thought to be 65-year-old Arnold Dorsey, the father of Rivera’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey and the grandfather to Josey, told The Sun the whole family was ‘sad’ and were rallying around Rivera’s son.  

The actress's distraught family said they just 'wish' she could be found so they could get some 'closure' over what is believed to have been a tragic drowning accident. Rivera pictured with son Josey

The actress’s distraught family said they just ‘wish’ she could be found so they could get some ‘closure’ over what is believed to have been a tragic drowning accident. Rivera pictured with son Josey

A man thought to be 65-year-old Arnold Dorsey (pictured above with Josey), the father of Rivera's ex-husband Ryan Dorsey and the grandfather to Josey, told The Sun the whole family was 'sad' and were rallying around Rivera's son

A man thought to be 65-year-old Arnold Dorsey (pictured above with Josey), the father of Rivera’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey and the grandfather to Josey, told The Sun the whole family was ‘sad’ and were rallying around Rivera’s son

‘We are sad, we just wish they could find her so we can have some closure,’ he said outside Rivera’s mother Yolanda’s home in Valencia.

He said Josey was having some ‘good days’ after the four-year-old’s terrifying ordeal.    

‘We still have good days [with him], I can’t make any other comment at this time.’  

Josey was found asleep and alone on the rental boat Wednesday evening. 

He told police his mother had ‘jumped’ into the water to go swimming and never came back, but police admitted it was ‘challenging’ to interview a four-year-old.  

The lake was said to be a ‘sanctuary’ for Rivera and somewhere she had been going to for years. 

However, the waters are also known for their rip currents and for being full of debris, and eight people have drowned there since 1994. 

Authorities have said there is no evidence of foul play or suicide and that everything points to the young star accidentally drowning.  

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office released CCTV footage showing Naya Rivera and her four-year-old son arriving at the dock on Lake Piru on Wednesday

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office released CCTV footage showing Naya Rivera and her four-year-old son arriving at the dock on Lake Piru on Wednesday

The pair climbed onto their pontoon boat rental before heading out into the lake at around 1pm

The pair climbed onto their pontoon boat rental before heading out into the lake at around 1pm