Natalie Wood
Robert Wagner - husband
Lana Wood - Natalie's sister
Speaking on Friday, Lt John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office said "substantial" new information on Wood's death had come to light, but would confirm little else. Her death remains classified as an accidental drowning until information if found to prove otherwise, Lt Corina said. Hours earlier, the captain of the boat, Dennis Davern, told NBC News in a TV appearance that he lied to police during the initial investigation and that a fight between Wood and Mr Wagner had led to her death.
Mr Davern has made similar allegations before, in a magazine article and in an TV interview in 1992. Pressed on whether Robert Wagner was a suspect, Lt Corina said he was not. Wood had been partying with Wagner and actor Christopher Walken the night before her death, and the coroner's investigation ruled she had been drinking and may have slipped trying to board the dinghy.
"Recently sheriff's homicide investigators were contacted by persons who stated they had additional information about the Natalie Wood Wagner drowning," the department said, announcing the resumption of the investigation. "Due to the additional information, Sheriff's Homicide Bureau has decided to take another look at the case."
Natalie Wood facts
- Died in 1981, aged 43
- Was on yacht with her husband and an actor on the night of her death
- Best known for playing in West Side Story and Rebel without a Cause
- Oscar-nominated three times, but never won
- Born as Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko, to Russian immigrants in San Francisco
Wood's body was found floating in a Catalina Island cove. Police reports say she was found wearing a long nightgown, socks, and a jacket. The post-mortem report said Wood had bruises on her body and arms as well as a facial abrasion on her left cheek. But questions over the exact circumstances of her death have persisted for 30 years. Family members have previously asked for authorities to re-examine the original findings.
The Los Angeles Times newspaper cited County Sheriff Lee Baca as saying detectives wanted to talk to the captain of the yacht, the Splendour, about comments around the 30th anniversary of Wood's death. The Times also reported allegations that the captain had remembered new facts about the incident.
And the former captain, Dennis Davern, has published a book entitled Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, alleging the actress died after a fight with her husband. In his book Pieces of My Heart, Wagner acknowledged that there had been a fight with Wood before she had disappeared. In a statement issued by his publicist, Wagner's family said they supported the reopening of the inquiry and trusted the detectives would "evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death".
No comments:
Post a Comment
Through this ever open gate
None come too early
None too late
Thanks for dropping in ... the PICs