Mystery Surrounding Natalie Wood’s Death Persists After 40 Years

Forty years ago, the tragic drowning of actress Natalie Wood near Catalina Island continues to be a perplexing enigma.

Authorities ruled her death as an accident, stating that the 43-year-old star of “West Side Story,” who was not proficient in swimming, had been drinking the night before she was discovered floating face-down in the ocean.

Her untimely demise has since become a captivating Hollywood mystery, the subject of tabloid rumors, television specials, and books speculating whether foul play was involved.

The case gained significant attention a decade ago.

In 2011, thirty years after Wood's death, officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department reopened the investigation.

Then, in 2013, the county coroner's office revised the cause of death from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors.”

The updated coroner's report cited fresh bruises on Wood's arms and knee, as well as a scratch on her neck and a scrape on her forehead, suggesting the possibility of assault prior to her drowning.

The report also highlighted conflicting statements regarding the time of Wood's disappearance and whether she had argued with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, and Christopher Walken, her co-star in the film “Brainstorm.”

The three were on board a 60-foot yacht named Splendour, where Wood was last seen alive on November 28, 1981.

According to authorities, a dispute between Walken and Wagner erupted after the trio had dinner at Doug's Harbor Reef restaurant in Two Harbors and returned to the yacht, where they consumed alcohol.

The new report indicated that Wood went missing around midnight, and an analysis of her stomach contents suggested her death occurred around that time.

Wagner reported her missing at 1:30 a.m.

Roger Smith, the captain of the L.A. County rescue boat who retrieved Wood's body from the water, claimed he did not receive a call to search for her until after 5 a.m.

Initially, investigators believed that Wood sustained bruises while falling off the yacht and trying to pull herself into a rubber dinghy, which had scratch marks consistent with that theory.

However, the 2013 report noted that nail clippings were not collected from Wood's body to determine if she made the scratch marks, and the dinghy was no longer available for examination.

The coroner speculated that Wood died shortly after entering the water.

During the reopened investigation, over 100 individuals came forward with information, but it yielded no significant breakthroughs.

Some detectives alleged that Wagner possessed more knowledge about Wood's death than he admitted, a claim refuted by the actor's attorney.

No charges were ever filed, and authorities remain uncertain if a crime occurred.

“Our main obstacle is time,” stated Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau in 2018.

“Many witnesses, including those on nearby boats, have passed away.

The original investigator has also passed away.

We are making one last appeal for people to come forward with information.”

Tragically, Corina passed away in 2019.

This article was compiled from archived reports in The Times.

Here is an overview of their coverage on the Natalie Wood case:

– Robert Wagner's actions following Natalie Wood's death raise questions, says detective.

– Detective's comments spark renewed interest in Natalie Wood's mysterious drowning.

– A look back at The Times' coverage of Natalie Wood's enigmatic death in 1981.

– Detectives running out of time in the reopened Natalie Wood case.