bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

Los Angeles County homicide detectives have named actor Robert Wagner a “person of interest” in the probe of the unexplained 1981 drowning of his wife, actress Natalie Wood, saying he was the last person with her before she vanished off southern California.
The latest twist in the mystery surrounding Woods’ death came in on-camera interviews of two investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department by CBS News for a segment of the programme 48 Hours, set to air on Saturday.
Excerpts of the interviews were released by the CBS network on Thursday ahead of the broadcast.
“Person of interest” is a term used by US law enforcement in referring to someone believed to possess information that would help investigators but has not been arrested or formally charged with a crime, and is not necessarily a suspect.
We know now that he was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lieutenant John Corina
Wagner’s publicist referred questions to his lawyer, who did not reply to requests for comment.
Wood’s body was found floating in a Santa Catalina Island cove on the morning of November 29, 1981, after a night of dining and drinking on the island and on a yacht with her husband Wagner, fellow actor Christopher Walken, and the boat’s captain.
Wood, who was 43 and said to have had a lifelong fear of drowning and dark water, was found dressed for bed in a long nightgown and socks, but wearing a red down jacket over her nightclothes.
The coroner originally ruled the death of the Oscar-nominated actress, who starred in West Side Story and Splendor in the Grass, as an accidental drowning.
But her death became the subject of countless tabloid headlines and investigations.
In 2012, her death certificate was amended to list the cause of her demise as “drowning and other undetermined factors.”
Months earlier, the sheriff’s department had officially reopened its investigation, though detectives said then that Wagner, now 87, was not a suspect.
In his CBS interview, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lieutenant John Corina said attention has now fallen more heavily on Wagner.
“As we’ve investigated the case over the last six years, I think he’s more of a person of interest now,” Corina said. “I mean, we know now that he was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared.”
Corina also said Wagner’s story has shifted over the years “and his version of events just don’t add up,” Corina said.
A new coroner’s report from 2012 revealed that bruising was found on Wood’s arms and wrists and scratches on her neck, suggesting she was injured before hitting the water.
“She looked like a victim of an assault,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detective Ralph Hernandez told CBS.
Still, Hernandez acknowledged that investigators still lack enough information to prove Wood died by accident or foul play. “The ultimate problem is we don’t know how she ended up in the water,” he said.
The County Sheriff’s Office had no comment on the CBS interview. 


Rain fails to deter fans at tribute concert for Hong Kong’s late Khalil Fong

Who is Park Bo-gum, IU’s boyish co-star in Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines?

Gene Hackman’s dog probably died of dehydration and starvation, report says

How to Style like Matt Rife – do casual cool like the funny man with timeless basics in sophisticated neutral hues from Stòffa and Frame, contrasting with a black Ralph Lauren T-shirt

Fame and celebrity

After 37 years, police name actor Robert Wagner a ‘person of interest’ in wife Natalie Wood’s drowning

The death of the actress in 1981 has been the subject of countless tabloid investigations

FILE - This Nov. 30, 1981 file photo shows the "Prince Valiant," the inflatable dinghy used by Natalie Wood, moored at the harbor in Avalon, Calif., after it washed up on the rocks on Santa Catalina Island. Patrolmen discovered the actress' body 200 yards off Blue Cavern Point on Catalina Island, 100 yards away from the boat after a seven hour search. Investigators are now calling her husband, Robert Wagner, a "person of interest" in the 1981 death of Wood. Mystery has swirled around Wood's death. It was declared an accident but police reopened the case in 2011 to see whether Wagner or anyone else played a role (AP Photo/Paul J. Harrington, File)

FILE - In this April 23, 1972 file photo, actor Robert Wagner and his former wife, actress Natalie Wood, pose at the Dorchester Hotel in London, England. Investigators are now calling Wagner a "person of interest" in the 1981 death of his wife Natalie Wood. Mystery has swirled around Wood's death. It was declared an accident but police reopened the case in 2011 to see whether Wagner or anyone else played a role (AP File Photo)

Robert Wagner attends the screening of "Northpole" on Nov. 4, 2014 at The Grove in Los Angeles, Calif. Wagner is being labeled a "person of interest" in the drowning death of Natalie Wood nearly four decades ago. (Phil Roach/Globe Photos/Zuma Press/TNS)

FILE - This Nov. 29, 1981 file photo, the 55-foot yacht "Splendour," belonging to actor Robert Wagner and his wife, actress Natalie Wood, sits in the waters at Avalon, Calif., on Santa Catalina Island, near where rescuers found the body of Wood, an apparent drowning victim. Investigators are now calling Wagner a "person of interest" in the 1981 death of Wood. Mystery has swirled around Wood's death. It was declared an accident but police reopened the case in 2011 to see whether Wagner or anyone else played a role (AP Photo/Paul J. Harrington, File)

A 1981 file photo shows actress Natalie Wood. Investigators are now calling 87-year-old actor Robert Wagner a “person of interest” in the 1981 death of his wife Wood. Photo: AP

Natalie Wood had ‘unexplained’ bruises before drowning death - new coroner report

Actress Natalie Wood pictured in 1981. A new report  shows coroner’s officials have amended her death certificate based on unanswered questions about bruises on her upper body. Photo: AP

Dennis Davern, 62, former captain of Splendour, the yacht that actress Natalie Wood was on before she died, told television shows he heard the couple arguing before she went missing. Photo: Reuters

Natalie Wood’s husband snubs new death probe

Natalie Wood, with her actor husband, Robert Wagner in 1980 Los Angeles. A Los Angeles sheriff's detective said Wagner will not speak to him regarding the new inquiry into Wood’s 1981 drowning. Photo: AP 

News

World

United States & Canada

The death of the actress in 1981 has been the subject of countless tabloid investigations
