Death Of Movie Star Natalie Wood To Be Re-Opened, Robert Wagoner Needs To Offer More Answers

There has been a mystery about movie star Natalie Wood’s death from the time she died.  There were too few answers from her husband Robert Wagoner, or so it seemed at the time, and it will be interesting to see how this all plays out in the months to come.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office is reopening its investigation into the death of movie star Natalie Wood, who drowned in 1981 while boating off Catalina Island near the California coast, authorities said Thursday.

Homicide investigators are taking a new look at one of Hollywood’s most enduring mysteries after they were contacted by people who claimed they had “additional information” about the drowning, the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

Authorities didn’t provide further details late Thursday and said a news conference on the matter will be held Friday at 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET).

Last year, the actress’ sister, Lana Wood, and the captain of the yacht on which Wood sailed with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, had asked the sheriff’s office to reopen the case.

On Thursday, L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Benjamin Grubb couldn’t say whether the sister and the yacht captain have prompted the renewed investigation.

Natalie Wood once said in a televised interview that her greatest fear was of dark seawater. On November 29, 1981, she drowned in the Pacific Ocean off the isthmus of Catalina Island.

Wood’s body was found floating in the water about a mile away from the yacht.

According to police reports, Wood was found wearing a long nightgown, socks, and a down jacket.

The autopsy report shows Wood had two dozen bruises on her body, including a facial abrasion on her left cheek, and bruises on her arms.

“My sister was not a swimmer and did not know how to swim, and she would never go to another boat or to shore dressed in a nightgown and socks,” said Lana Wood.

Although the county coroner’s office ruled that Wood’s death was an accident, others say the case hasn’t made sense.

In 2010, Lana Wood told CNN she believes a highly charged argument between her sister and husband on the yacht’s back deck preceded Wood’s drowning. She told CNN last year she does not suspect foul play.

“I just want the truth to come out, the real story,” she said last year.