On July 8, 2020, former Glee star Naya Rivera was reported missing during a trip to Lake Piru with her 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey. Five days later, Deadline confirmed that a body pulled from the lake was Rivera’s. “It has been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said. “Our hearts are with them, and we share in their grief for Naya’s loss.”
A year after her untimely death, Naya Rivera’s mother, Yolanda Previtire, sat down with Good Morning America to reflect on her daughter’s legacy and revealed their final conversation.
The Search For Naya Rivera Was “Hell On Earth”
Speaking with ABC News’ Juju Chang, Previtire said that of the day of the incident, she had “missed two of her FaceTime calls,” but called her back. “And we had a beautiful conversation. The sun was kissing her face and she was just beautiful,” she revealed. “She had a white, beautiful swimming suit on and she was glowing.” She then asked Rivera to call her back after they got out the water. That was the last time she spoke to her daughter.
Describing the five-day search for her daughter’s body as “hell on earth,” Previtire relied on her faith to get her through. “My faith told me that nothing is missing, surely not a person,” she explained. “Yes, we just can’t find them. So that was my thing. God, you know where she’s at, just bring her back to us.”
“Because I Know If We Could Go Back, We’d Hug A Little Bit Harder”
Naya Rivera’s sister, Nickayla, revealed that she and the family are in therapy attempting to come to terms with their overwhelming grief. “Taking that one day at a time and living it to the fullest, loving each other to the fullest and not regretting anything,” she said. “Because I know if we could go back, we’d hug a little bit harder.”
In the end, Previtire would like Naya Rivera’s “legacy to be one that teaches people to love.” She added, “Love who you are because you don’t get another life.”
