The cause of death for actress Natalie Wood, which was formerly ruled as accidental drowning, has been switched to ‘undetermined.’ Wood, at age 43, was found drowned in 1981 after a night on a yacht off the coast of California with her husband Robert Wagner. Also on the trip was actor Christopher Walken. Wood’s death was ruled accidental by the Los Angeles Coroner’s office, which noted that a heavy night of drinking could have made her slip and fall.
The case was opened once again in November of 2011 when Dennis Davern, the captain of the yacht, provided new information about that night. Davern claims that he thinks Wagner was responsible for Wood’s death. Davern said that Wood and Wagner were involved in a heated argument earlier that night and when Wood went missing, Wagner told Davern not to look for her.
There was still no evidence to indicate that the death of Wood was a murder as of January 2012. Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are now saying that bruises found on Wood’s body are not consistent with death caused by drowning. The same detectives said that the cause of death is still believed to be drowning but the bruises are what led to the change of cause of death on the death certificate.