Naya Rivera‘s ex Ryan Dorsey has spoken out about Rivera’s death – and their son’s experience of the accident – for the first time.
On July 8 2020, Rivera and her son Josey went on a boating trip at Lake Piru in California, a popular location for swimming and boating.
But four hours after they left shore, then six-year-old Josey was found alone and asleep in the pontoon boat wearing a lifejacket.
His 33-year-old mother, known for her starring role in the series Glee, was declared missing and an urgent hunt was launched to try and find her.
Tragically, her body was found in the water five days later on the anniversary of her co-star Cory Monteith’s death in 2013.
Her death was ruled as accidental drowning, and Ryan and Josey were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered life.
Her family later lodged a wrongful death lawsuit against Ventura County, United Water Conservation District and Parks and Recreation Management. They settled privately for an undisclosed amount.
Now, Ryan has finally shared details about he and his son’s life in the aftermath of the horrific tragedy.
Even more heartbreakingly, Ryan told People Magazine the details of his son’s final moments with his mother.
On that fateful day in 2020, its been speculated that a strong current carried the boat out of reach from the swimming pair.
‘He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore,’ Ryan said of Josey, with the outlet reporting tear welled up in his eyes as he made the emotional admission.
‘It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.’
Tragically, Josey was left traumatised by the incident, with Ryan saying he treats his son differently than he would another child because of how much he’s been through. Still, he says that Josey is a happy kid who is friendly to everyone.
Ryan continued: ‘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.
‘I keep reassuring him, “Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.”‘
Ryan went on to speculate that the drowning was likely caused by a freak current or perhaps Naya was tangled up in brush. Regardless, he is certain there is nothing his son could have done to save his mother.
In the rest of the interview, Ryan reveals that money troubles caused he and Josey to move from LA to West Virginia, where they now have an easier life as he continues to audition for acting roles.
While he still struggles with being a single parent and the loss of Naya, Ryan is hopeful for a better future for he and his son in which they keep her memory alive.
Ryan and Naya had a close but tumultuous relationship.
They met in 2010 when her Glee co-star, Heather Morris, approached Ryan at a bar and told him her friend thought he was cute.
The pair married in 2014 before welcoming Josey in December 2015.
However their marriage broke down and the couple divorced in 2018 but remained on amicable terms while co-parenting Josey.
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