Natalie Wood's Death Mystery Continues, Was the Actress Assaulted?

New clues have surfaced about the death of actress Natalie Wood, who's mysterious drowning off the California coast more than 30 years ago continues to baffle authorities.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office released a new report today that questioned the original 1981 coroner's report, which ruled her death "accidental."

According to CBS News, a medical examiner found bruising on the actress's wrists, knees, and ankles, which may indicate that she was assaulted.

"With the presence of fresh bruises in the upper extremities in the right forearm/left wrist area and a small scratch in the anterior neck, this examiner is unable to exclude non-accidental mechanism causing these injuries," wrote Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, the chief medical examiner. "The location of the bruises, the multiplicity of the bruises, lack of head trauma, or facial bruising support bruising having occurred prior to entry in the water. Since there are unanswered questions and limited additional evidence available for evaluation, it is opined by this medical examiner that the manner of death should be left as undetermined."

Wood was originally believed to have accidentally drowned off the coast of Catalina Island on November 28, 1981. Actor Robert Wagner, her husband, told authorities that she had fallen off their yacht. However, in 2011, the investigation into her death was reopened after new information was reported by several sources, including the yacht's captain. In August 2012, Wood's death certificate was changed from "accidental" to "undetermined."

Wood, a Hollywood legend, starred in more than 40 films throughout her career, including Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, and West Side Story

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Natalie Woods
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