Losing a parent would be hard on any child, but losing a parent right in front of your eyes is unbelievably tragic. On Jul. 8, 2020, Glee actress Naya Rivera was swimming off a rental boat with her then-four-year-old son Josey when his mom tragically drowned at the age of 33 as she risked her life to ensure that her son got back safely on the boat as it began to drift away due to high winds. River’s ex and father of Josey, Ryan Dorsey, has been mostly silent about the events of that day, but he’s now revealing what their son told him about his mother’s final moments nearly five years ago.
During a chat with PEOPLE, Dorsey went into great detail about the day Rivera lost her life, both on his end of receiving the news and from what his son, now nine years old, was able to tell him over the years since his mother’s passing. Josey recalls it being very windy that day and that he felt worried about getting into the water, but Rivera told him, “Don’t be silly!,” likely because she didn’t sense that she and her son were in any immediate danger. However, after the pair had been swimming for a while, Rivera realized that the boat was drifting. According to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Dorsey on behalf of his son, the boat didn’t have flotation devices or an anchor.
Josey then recalls his mom telling him to swim back where he grabbed “the tanks” and pulled himself up “around the boat.” Reports at the time said that Rivera drowned following exhausting herself getting her son back on the boat, something that could still very well be true, as she got him ahead of herself. The next moment revealed is something Josey has felt guilt over, according to Dorsey, and it’s especially tragic because, even at four, he still tried to do his best to help his mom.

“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.’ That obviously still sticks out in his head because he feels like he could have saved her. I think she just got caught up in a brush, that or a weird undercurrent from the dam. It was just a freak occurrence.”

Josey Revealed Naya Rivera’s Last Words

Josey was ultimately discovered asleep on the adrift boat, which had been rented by Rivera three hours prior. The next five days were spent searching for Rivera, and that search ended on Jul. 13 when her body was found in a remote part of the lake. Dorsey revealed that, according to Josey, Rivera’s last words were simply her son’s name. Dorsey continued, “He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore. It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.”

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Following Rivera’s funeral, Dorsey and Josey moved back to Dorsey’s hometown of West Virginia to have more privacy away from the media. They returned to Los Angeles, and Rivera’s sister Nickayla moved in with them for a year, something he said was a huge help for the both of them. Dorsey said, “She was such a big help. I had to go to Vancouver for five months and Josey came the last month to stay with me, but during the time I was gone she held it down and kept that consistency. It was very surreal sometimes because that way she would say things to Josey would sound like his mom.”
Rivera rose to fame portraying Santana Lopez on Glee from 2009-2015. The role and the show became pop culture mainstays, and they remain popular today. Dorsey and Rivera had a very off-and-on relationship, but it’s clear they always put their son first. Now the actor has spent the time since her passing juggling both parental roles, and it’s something that hasn’t been easy, but he pushes through.

“We made a book of memories for Josey that sits by his bed, and during the holidays he was crying looking at it. 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, and you just have to do your best to be a good person. It’s hard trying to explain things that you can’t really make sense of no matter what age you are. 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.”

The pair now permanently live in West Virginia, and it has been a move that was good for both of them. Dorsey does everything to keep Rivera’s memory alive for their son while also being the best dad he can as they navigate a time that is still difficult but one they’re in together. Dorsey said, “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.”