The Raiders family was dealt a serious loss when the authorities confirmed the death of actress Naya Rivera, per Stella Chan and Amir Vera of CNN. Though she did not work for the team at any point, her brother Mychael Rivera was a key contributor during his four years in Oakland and she was a big supporter.
In fact, photos of her at a Raiders game in 2013 have begun to resurface.
The late Naya Rivera posed for photos with #RaiderNation on September 29, 2013 before the Washington vs #Raiders game. 🖤🤍🏴☠️🏈📸🙏🏻
Rest In Peace @NayaRivera , Naya’s brother @MychalRivera was a TE for the #Raiders. This photo is from the 2013 season as she and former boyfriend @BigSean were on the field before the game. Sorry for your loss Mychal! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Also, a heartwarming GIF of her celebrating her brother scoring a touchdown for the Raiders has been circulating.
Naya Rivera’s reaction to her bro Mychal Rivera scoring his 1st ever touchdown for the Raiders!
She also had a chance to meet former Raiders great Willie Brown, who sadly passed away last year.
Raiders great Willie Brown and Naya Rivera greeting each other at that game. Our condolences go out to Naya’s family, friends and fans. #RIPNayaRivera 🕊🙏🏾
Rivera was always a big supporter of the team when her brother played and her death is a blow to the Raider family.
Mychal Rivera Was Among the People Searching for Naya
It was first reported on July 8th that Naya Rivera was missing. While she was “presumed dead” for several days, there was a long search to try and find her body. Her family, including her brother Mychal, were among the people who traveled to Lake Piru, California to look for her, per TMZ:
Sometime over the last day or so … Naya’s mom, Yolanda, and her younger brother, Mychal, were at the dock where Naya’s boat departed Wednesday — only Yolanda was on her knees with her arms stretched out toward the water, and her pain is palpable.
Mychal stood by, stoically staring out as well. The “Glee” actress and singer has one other younger sibling, Nickayla, who didn’t appear to be present. On Saturday, the two of them boarded a boat and put on life vests to help with the search.
The search continues for Naya Rivera. @VENTURASHERIFF told press that this man and woman are Naya’s mother and brother. Her mother is kneeling on the dock with her arms outstretched towards the water.
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Authorities Found Naya’s Body on Monday
After a search that spanned nearly a week, the authorities confirmed on Monday that they recovered Rivera’s body. It’s hard to know exactly what happened to the actress, but the authorities offered a potential explanation, per Fox News:
“It would be speculation to say at this point,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said at Monday’s press conference. “There are a lot of currents on the lake that get up here, particularly in the afternoon. We believe it was mid-afternoon when she disappeared. The idea of perhaps being that the boat started drifting, it was unanchored, and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself.
“As you can imagine, it’s been an extremely difficult time for her family throughout this ordeal,” Ayub said. “As fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, our hearts are with them and we share in their grief for Naya’s loss. We’ve been in direct contact with the family throughout this entire time and we’ve kept them updated on the progress of our search efforts throughout. Our hearts also go out to Naya’s many friends and fans who have been holding out hope for the best over the past few days.”
Fortunately, Rivera’s son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, was okay and it might’ve been thanks to her efforts.
“We believe it was mid-afternoon when she disappeared, the idea perhaps being that the boat started drifting — it was unanchored — and that she mustered enough energy to get her son back on to the boat, but not enough to save herself,” Ayub said.
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Photos of Naya Rivera at Raiders Game Resurface [LOOK]