Naya Rivera’s Son Josey Tried to Save Her the Day She Drowned: Ryan Dorsey Shares Heartbreaking Details

The tragic death of Glee star Naya Rivera in July 2020 left her family and fans heartbroken. Now, her ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey, is sharing new, heartbreaking details about that fateful day. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Dorsey reveals how their son, Josey, now 9, tried to save his mom—and how he’s coping with the guilt of not being able to.

Josey’s Brave Attempt to Save His Mom

On July 8, 2020, Naya Rivera took her son Josey, then just 4 years old, out on a rented boat at Lake Piru in California. What started as a fun day turned into a nightmare when the boat began to drift. Rivera noticed the danger and told Josey to swim back to the boat.

Josey, now 9, still remembers the details vividly. “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 shares. “I keep reassuring him, ‘Buddy, that rope wasn’t going to be long enough.’”

Dorsey says Josey also recalls the wind that day and feeling scared about getting into the water. But Rivera reassured him, saying, “Don’t be silly!”

The Tragic Moments

After swimming for some time, Rivera noticed the boat drifting further away. She told Josey to swim back, and he managed to grab onto “the tanks” and pull himself around the boat. But Rivera, exhausted from helping her son, didn’t make it back.

“He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore,” Dorsey says. “It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.”

Ryan Dorsey’s Heartbreaking Discovery

Dorsey learned about Rivera’s disappearance from a call while he was at a supermarket in Big Bear Lake, California. “I collapsed into a pallet of drinks,” he recalls. “I feared the worst.”

He immediately drove 145 miles to Lake Piru, speeding and chain-smoking cigarettes the entire way. “I just wanted to get to Josey,” he says.

Josey was found asleep and alone on the drifting boat. “If we’d have lost both Naya and Josey, I don’t know how I would continue on with my life,” Dorsey admits.

Five days later, Rivera’s body was found in a remote part of the lake.

Life After Naya’s Death

Dorsey and Josey have been navigating life without Rivera ever since. The pair moved from Los Angeles to Dorsey’s home state of West Virginia two years ago. Dorsey says the holidays are especially tough for Josey.

“We made this book of memories for Josey that sits by his bed, and during the holidays he was crying looking at it,” Dorsey shares. “You can only give him a hug and tell him, ‘I know, life is not fair. Bad things happen, and there’s no reason for it.’”

Dorsey admits he struggles to explain the tragedy to Josey. “I’m not a big believer in everything happens for a reason because I can’t ever think of a reason why he doesn’t have his mom,” he says.

Josey’s Resilience

Despite the pain, Dorsey says Josey is a happy and energetic child. “He wakes up happy, all energy,” Dorsey says. “I’m trying to be the best parent that I can be and raise a good little man. He gives me a reason to keep going with my life.”

Naya Rivera’s death was a devastating loss for her family, friends, and fans. But through his grief, Ryan Dorsey is determined to honor her memory by raising Josey with love and strength. As they continue to heal, Dorsey’s story is a reminder of the enduring bond between a mother and her child—and the resilience of the human spirit.