Doug Bombard says the reopening of the Natalie Wood investigation has brought back some painful memories.
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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