Natalie Wood was one of Hollywood’s most alluring actresses in life, and her tragic death remains a mystery. Her husband, Robert Wagner, and Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken told detectives that she slipped while trying to retie her dinghy. Keep reading the article below to learn more about Natalie Wood Death.
Producer Gregson Wagner interviews a number of friends and family members, including her daughter Natasha (who was 11 when her mother died). The result is a Rashomon come to life.
Natalie Wood was one of Hollywood’s most alluring actresses. Her acting career was full of ups and downs, but her life ended tragically in a mystery that has never been solved.
In a new book, author Sam Perroni takes an in-depth look at what really happened to the star on the day she died in 1981. He reveals stunning new evidence that contradicts the original investigation and points to corruption as the likely motive.
During the Thanksgiving weekend of 1981, Wood and her husband, actor Robert Wagner, were aboard a yacht anchored in the secluded Isthmus of Catalina Island. The boat, named Splendour, was also carrying film star Christopher Walken and Dennis Davern, the skipper of the vessel.
According to the official account of the tragedy, Wood fell from the deck of the ship and was pulled into the ocean by the dinghy. However, there is no record of anyone on the boat calling for help or asking for medical assistance. It has also been reported that Natalie was drunk at the time of her death and may have been suicidal.
The investigation of Natalie Wood death reopened in 2012 when local newspaper columnist Bombard published an article questioning the official story of what happened to the star. He stated that the yacht’s captain and two other passengers initially told police they assumed Natalie, who was famously afraid of deep, dark sea water, had simply taken off in her dinghy and gone ashore. But they later changed their accounts, which raised investigators’ suspicions.
Davern, the Splendour’s captain, has been an outspoken critic of the official account of what happened to Natalie Wood for years, appearing on a 1992 Geraldo Rivera special and writing a 2000 book. His sister Lana has said he did not divulge more information to investigators in 1981 because he was worried he would lose his job.
In his memoirs, Davern has written that he believes Wagner murdered Natalie. He has also claimed that he was intimidated by Wagner and that he withheld information from authorities in order to protect his brother-in-law. In his book, he claims that Wagner argued with Wood and then pushed her in the water. He also says he heard people on other boats talking about the argument.
Witnesses
The lingering mystery over the 1981 death of actress Natalie Wood has been fueled by conflicting accounts of what happened that night. While initial reports ruled her drowning an accident, investigators reopened the case after receiving new information in 2018. The coroner’s revised cause of death was listed as “drowning and other undetermined factors.”
According to a report from CNN, the evidence that has been unearthed shows the star’s body was abused in some way. A medical examiner found that there were fresh bruises on her neck and arm. He also noted that there was a scratch in her throat, possibly caused by a fingernail or thumbnail. Those wounds were consistent with blunt force trauma.
Natalie Wood was a devoted daughter and wife who rarely spoke publicly. Her sister, Lana, believes her mother was murdered and suspects the person responsible was her husband, actor Robert Wagner. She says her sister had a “skewed perception” of the events leading up to her death. She says that she was suffering from a lifetime of psychological damage and abuse, which led to multiple suicide attempts and daily psychoanalysis. Her greatest fear was dark water, a fear that originated from a prophecy told to her by a Gypsy.
Lana also alleges that actor Kirk Douglas sexually assaulted her when she was a teenager. The allegations were first published in her book Little Sister, released this week (Dey Street Books).
A potential witness to the incident, stockbroker Marilyn Wayne, claims that she was told to keep quiet by investigators after the incident. She says she believes her family was threatened to stop speaking out about her suspicions.
Another witness, Dennis Davern, was the yacht’s skipper on the night of Natalie Wood’s death. He has been a person of interest in the investigation, but he has refused to talk to investigators. He has written a book about the incident, and his account has shifted over time. He says that he does not believe the original story he gave investigators is true.
Sam Perroni, the author of the book titled The Truth Behind Natalie Wood’s Death, has made an in-depth examination of the case and found that foul play may have been involved. He has documented his findings in the book, which he describes as the most far-reaching and in-depth examination of the matter to date. He lays bare corrupt motives that influenced the outcome of the original investigation, and he discusses the evidence he has discovered. He also details the likely culprits and motives. A portion of the profits from the book will be donated to charity in memory of Natalie Wood.
Suspected Suspects
In the aftermath of her death, some people believed that Wood was murdered by her husband. Others believe that the actress was killed by a stranger. The murder case is a mystery to this day.
The murder of Natalie Wood is one of Hollywood’s most notorious unsolved mysteries. The three-time Oscar nominee was found dead in the chilly waters off Southern California’s Santa Catalina Island in 1981. While investigators ruled her death an accident, many questions remain.
Her husband at the time, actor Robert Wagner, was a suspect but was later cleared of any wrongdoing. In the years since her death, rumors have swirled around her disappearance, but police say there’s no new evidence to support them.
According to an autopsy report, Wood died after slipping off the boat while trying to tie down a dinghy. She was wearing a flannel nightgown and socks at the time of her death, according to the report. Investigators also discovered superficial bruises on her body.
The cause of her death was originally ruled an accidental drowning by LASD coroner Thomas T. Noguchi, who also determined that the actress fell off the Splendour while trying to tie down a dinghy. However, in 2012, when the investigation was reopened, new coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran changed the cause of death to “drowning and other undetermined factors.”
In a 2014 book, former Splendour captain Dennis Davern claimed that Wood was pushed from the yacht by Wagner. He also alleges that Wagner had a fear of dark water, which stemmed from a prophecy her mother received from a fortune teller. Davern appeared on Megyn Kelly Today to promote the book and defend himself against allegations that he waited so long to tell investigators what happened.
He pointed out that he had never been asked to question Wagner or Walken about what happened the night of the incident. However, he admitted that his theory does not prove anything. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is still considering the possibility of foul play in Wood’s death, but no charges have been filed against anyone.
Final Words
Wood was a former child star who rose to prominence at age 5 in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street and continued her career with Academy Award nominations for Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story, and Splendor in the Grass. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe and won three. She was a wife and mother.
She was a devoted member of the church and reportedly believed in reincarnation. She had several close friends and was well liked by many.
In her last year, she struggled with depression and a divorce. She had also begun to drink more and was adamant that her husband, Robert Wagner, was responsible for her death. He later said in his 2009 memoir, Pieces of My Heart, that he blamed himself for her death.
After Thanksgiving of 1981, Wood and Wagner invited friends to join them for a weekend trip on their yacht. Most declined due to the poor sailing weather that weekend, but Wood’s Brainstorm costar Christopher Walken and Dennis Davern, the captain of their boat, Splendour, agreed.
The three men told police that they assumed Wood, who was famously afraid of water, took the dinghy and went ashore. It was not until a few weeks after her death that a retired stockbroker who had been on the scene told the Los Angeles Times that she heard Wood’s “last desperate cries for help.”
A documentary crew filming the trip caught behind-the-scenes footage of the actress climbing into the water, apparently trying to board the dinghy, and grabbing onto trained divers as she came up for air. It’s been a mystery why the crew never released it until 2021.
Although he didn’t co-write a book with Davern, Walken has been interviewed on TV and in magazines about the case. He’s been quoted as saying, “Anyone who thinks there is more to this than has been revealed will never be satisfied.” He’s also remained silent about the reopened investigation. Meanwhile, Wood’s sister Lana has talked with detectives working the case.