Man Who Found Natalie Wood's Body Speaks Out

Doug Bombard spotted Wood's body in the water off Catalina Island in 1981

The reopening of the Natalie Wood death investigation is like peeling a scab off an old wound, said the man who found her body.

Doug Bombard, a former harbor director, took part in the 1981 search off Catalina Island.  He said a red bubble in the water -- Wood's red jacket -- caught his attention.

"She was hanging in her down jacket under that bubble. If it wasn't for that, I don't think we'd ever have found her body," Bombard said.

Bombard, now 85, remembers how Robert Wagner reacted to seeing his dead wife.

"I told him I recovered the body," Bombard said. "He looked right at me as I said it and he just looked down."

Despite the reopening of the investigation, Bombard continues to believe Wood's death was a horrible and unfortunate accident.

"I think it's a bad idea that Robert's family has to deal with it again," he said.

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