Former Glee actress Naya Rivera has gone missing in a lake in Southern California.

Police from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department confirmed they searched the area after the star's four-year-old son was reportedly found floating alone on a rented boat at Lake Piru.

The search will resume “at first light” on Thursday, the sheriff’s department said.

The actress, 33, is best known for playing Santana Lopez on musical comedy series Glee.

According to local reports quoting the sheriff’s department, she rented a boat at Lake Piru at about 1pm local time.

The alarm was raised and a search operation launched using helicopters, drones and dive teams, police said.