Naya Rivera’s son, Josey, not only remembers the day she died but also continues to experience guilt over his attempt to save her, according to his father, Ryan Dorsey.
In a recent interview with People, Dorsey— who was married to the late “Glee” star from 2014 to 2018 — spoke about the lasting impact of his ex-wife's death on their son, now 9 years old.
Rivera, best known for her role as Santana Lopez on “Glee,” drowned in 2020 while out on a boating trip at California's Lake Piru with Josey, who was 4 years old at the time. Authorities believe she put her son back onto their pontoon rental before disappearing beneath the water.
According to Dorsey, 41, Josey continues to remember the moments leading up to his mother's death.
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During the interview, Dorsey shared what Josey eventually told him about that day.
“He didn’t tell me this for a while after,” Dorsey said, adding that Josey expressed nervousness to Rivera about swimming due to the wind. He recalls telling his mom this before they jumped in the water, and she told him, “Don’t be silly!”
Dorsey said Josey shared that after some time in the water, they noticed the boat "was getting away from them," and Rivera told Josey to swim back to the boat.
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In an autopsy report released in September 2020, the Ventura County Medical Examiner said that Rivera "disappeared into the water" after Josey was back on the boat.
According to Dorsey, Josey continues to grapple with guilt over not being able to save his mother.
“Something he’s said over and over is that he was trying to find a life raft, and there was a rope, but there was a big spider on the rope, and he was too scared to throw it,” Dorsey recalled. “I keep reassuring him, ‘Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.’”
Rivera never resurfaced. After an extensive search, her body was recovered five days later, and authorities ruled her death an accidental drowning.
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