14 DAY TRIAL // Natalie Wood's death is not yet being ruled a homicide, although new evidence shows some indication of foul play. Wood, who drowned in 1981, while having a well-renowned fear of water, suffered bruising on her face and body.
A coroner's report revealed that the bruises dated back to before she entered the water, raising questions on whether or not she was assaulted.
The report has prompted a reopening of the decade-old case, and the public scrutiny into the actions of Wood's husband at the time, Robert Wagner. Meanwhile, the cause of Wood's death has been changed from “accident” to “undetermined.”
It seems Wagner has not consented to a new interview, NY Daily News elaborates. He was steering the boat that Wood was in, the night she died, and responded to the officer's questions after the incident.
Lt. John Carina told reporters, during a press statement, that Wagner is not a suspect in a homicide. The investigation is still ongoing, with other details surfacing as it progresses.
“We're just starting to reinvestigate the case, so sooner or later we will be contacting his family.
“We have several sources that have come forward with additional information, and as I said, we have found it credible enough to take another look at the case. [...] We'll go wherever the investigation is going to take us,” Carina explains.
Boat captain Dennis Davern has publicly stated last week that he was asked not to look for Wood, by her husband.
“I did lie on a report years ago. I made mistakes by not telling the honest truth in a police report,” he says.
“We're not going to look too hard, we're not going to turn on the search light, we're not going to notify anybody right at the moment,” he was allegedly told.
He adds that the couple was in the middle of a heated argument before Wood supposedly drowned.
“I heard things — objects, possibly people — hitting the walls and things being thrown at the ceiling,” Davern describes.