Witnesses statements from Natalie Wood's murky death being reexamined

Natalie Wood, born Natalie Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938, in San Fransisco, California, starred in movies and made TV appearances in titles such as Rebel Without A Cause (1955), West Side Story, 1961, the Tv mini-series From Here to Eternity (1979), The Last Married Couple (1980) and lastly, Brain Strom, (1983), the movie she worked on with Christopher Walken at the time of her passing.

Wood was married to acclaimed actor Robert Wagner, who was on the boat with her along with co-worker Christopher Walken and the ship's captain, when she died on November 29, 1981, near Santa Catalina Island, California by drowning and other mysterious causes.

Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner the star-powered young Hollywood couple brought Christopher Walken with them on an overnight sail on their yacht over Thanksgiving.

On the night of Nov. 28, Wood, 43, disappeared from the yacht. She was later found in the ocean dressed in a burgundy nightgown with blue socks and a red down coat. Beforehand, it was known that she had the specific anxiety over drowning in murky waters.

Authorities originally said it was an accident, with the idea Wood was escaping on a dinghy. It was believed she left due to a minor argument, or at least something equally innocuous. Still, rumors have circulated and certain clues of interest led to law enforcement to reopen the mystery in 2011.

A sheriff’s department spokeswoman, Nicole Nishida, said Wagner was asked for an interview by her department in late 2012. He refused to speak with investigators amid the eye of detectives getting a second look at Wood’s death, according to People.

Her death is one of Hollywood's major mysteries, with authorities changing its status to "suspicious" after new witnesses spoke out. Police originally had said it was accidental, but since there were bruises on her body the Los Angeles County coroner's office said the new cause of death changed from accidental drowning to "drowning and other undetermined factors."

A witness said there was screaming, crashes and banging coming from the couple's stateroom that night. Another witness stated a woman and a man - the only woman it could have possibly been was Natalie - were arguing on the stern of the yacht.