New witness statements have re-energized the investigation into the drowning of Natalie Wood, the child star turned Hollywood icon who disappeared off a yacht over Thanksgiving weekend in 1981.

Ms. Wood went missing late on Nov. 28 from the yacht Splendour. On board were her television star husband, Robert Wagner, the actor Christopher Walken and the boat’s captain.

The men spent hours searching for her before alerting the Coast Guard. Her body was found, shoeless and wearing only a nightgown and red parka, in a rocky cove near Santa Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles on Nov. 29. She was 43.