The search for the missing actress Naya Rivera in a Californian lake has reportedly switched from a rescue to a recovery mission.

The 33-year-old Glee star is feared to have drowned in Lake Piru after taking out a boat with her four-year-old son Josey Hollis Dorsey on Wednesday afternoon.

Police were alerted after her boat was found drifting in the lake with Josey asleep on board and no sign of Rivera.

The search resumed at sunrise this morning and according to TMZ, officials have now made it clear that Rivera is presumed dead and they are now working on a recovery mission.

The publication says that the lake - 50 miles North-West of Los Angeles - is filled with trees and debris and in a grim detail, adds that it may be seven to 10 days before her body naturally rises to the surface.

The search remains ongoing.