It’s been one month since police found Naya Rivera‘s body and confirmed that she had tragically passed away. And now, we have an update on how her son, Josey, is doing.
“This has been an unbelievably difficult time for her family and loved ones,” a source told Entertainment Tonight, adding that the 4-year-old is “doing better every day.”
For those who missed it, police told Us Weekly that the brunette beauty rented a motorized pontoon boat on July 8, 2020. But when they found her son sleeping alone in the boat, she was reported missing. Then, five days later, on July 13, 2020, authorities confirmed that they found Naya’s body in the lake and that she had sadly passed away. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that after completing an autopsy, the actress’ cause of death was drowning.
According to authorities, Josey saw his “mother disappear beneath the water.”
“We know from speaking with her son that he and Naya swam in the lake together during some point in their journey,” they said during a press conference. “It was during that time her son described being helped into the boat by Naya. Naya boosted him onto the deck from behind. The idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting, it was unanchored, and she mustered enough energy to get her son back on the boat but not enough for herself.”
According to the outlet, the toddler is now living with his father and Naya’s ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, full time. They also added that the Glee star’s sister, Nickayla, has been spending a lot of time with them, and that they make sure to “talk about Naya everyday” so that Josey will have “good memories of his late mother” and so “that she remains a big part of his life.”
“They talk openly about her and answer all of Josey’s questions. All things considered, Josey is coping well, and some days he seems like an ordinary happy-go-lucky kid,” the insider told them. “Josey understands that his mother is gone and that he grasps the finality of death. Josey is a very strong boy and Naya would be very proud of him.”
The source added, “Ryan’s whole world is Josey right now. Ryan is still grieving and is very much struggling with the loss of Naya, but he stays strong and keeps going for the sake of his son. Ryan would do anything for Josey. Right now, he’s really laying low and staying out of the public eye so he can completely focus on Josey and try to figure out how to navigate this new normal.”
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