For decades, the unexplained death of actress Natalie Wood off the coast of California’s Catalina Island has remained one of Hollywood’s most mysterious unsolved mysteries. Now, forensic expert Sam Perroni has produced the most far-reaching and in-depth investigation of the case to date.
Davern and Wagner told investigators that Wood got up in the middle of the night to re-tie their Zodiac dinghy, accidentally slipped and fell into the water. But is that really what happened? Keep reading the article below to learn more about Who Killed Natalie Wood.
A newly released supplemental autopsy report pokes holes in the original investigation into Natalie Wood’s nighttime drowning in the water off Catalina Island in 1981. The report also sheds new light on several bruises that were found on the actress’ body.
Bruises found on her arm and wrist suggest that she was assaulted before she slipped into the ocean off Catalina Island and drowned, according to a revised autopsy released this week. Those injuries may have been the reason Los Angeles County coroner officials amended the manner of her death to undetermined.
Wood, her husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken were spending a few hours drinking on a yacht belonging to the boat’s captain, Dennis Davern, the night of her death. Afterward, the three men told the sheriff’s detectives who investigated Wood’s death that she had fallen overboard while trying to tie down a dinghy, perhaps after arguing with Wagner.
The sheriff’s investigators based their initial conclusions on this account, a theory that has since been refuted by numerous experts and is now considered unlikely. Moreover, the dinghy was not examined after Wood’s death to see whether it had marks consistent with her slipping on it or being pushed off of it.
A new 10-page addendum to the original autopsy report states that the bruises on her arms and body suggest that she might have been assaulted before she went into the water. The report notes that she had taken at least eight prescription drugs, including the pain killer Darvon and a drug that prevents sea sickness, Antivert.
The report states that a four-hour wait for the Coast Guard to be called by the captain of the couple’s yacht, the Splendour, and the fact that the boat had not been moved after the sheriff’s first responder found it at 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning, suggests that the initial sheriff’s report was incorrect. The report also points out that the captain’s statement about a fight with Wood might not be true. The report also says that a swollen throat, which she had been taking medication for, could have contributed to her drowning.
Witnesses
The mysterious drowning of Natalie Wood in 1981 sparked a flurry of investigation, but the case was ultimately ruled an accident. However, new details and suspicions about the incident have continued to surface over the decades. One of the most interesting new developments in the case was the revelation that yacht captain Dennis Davern had lied during the initial police investigation. He later admitted that he had falsely claimed that Wagner was responsible for Wood’s death.
The scandal has rekindled interest in the case, and 48 Hours recently aired a special called Death in Dark Water that highlighted some of the controversies surrounding the actress’s death. Among them, the inconsistencies in witness testimony and holes in the original investigation. For example, many have questioned the claim that Wood took out the yacht’s dinghy to go party hopping. They point out that she was wearing a nightgown, socks, and a down jacket and couldn’t have operated the dinghy. Others have criticized the yacht’s owner for not responding to calls for help.
In addition, a number of witnesses have reported hearing voices and crashing sounds from Wood’s stateroom. However, the original police report dismissed them as normal. Some people have also pointed out that the fresh scrapes and bruises listed on the coroner’s report didn’t add up to a typical accidental fall.
Despite these red flags, no charges were ever filed. Over the years, both Wagner and Walken have been questioned about their involvement in the incident, but their accounts have conflicted. In 2008, Wagner published a memoir in which he claimed that Wood got up in the middle of the night to retie the banging Zodiac dinghy and accidentally slipped into the water. Davern later wrote his own book in which he claimed that Wagner and Wood had gotten into a fight after she broke a wine bottle.
In 2018, authorities officially named Robert Wagner a person of interest in the case. However, he has refused to speak with investigators.
The Case
The case of Natalie Wood’s death continues to spark controversy and speculation 37 years after the actress drowned off the coast of Catalina Island in California. She had been on a yachting trip with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, and friend Christopher Walken.
Despite the high profile nature of the case, no charges were ever filed against anyone in connection with her death. However, in November 2011, Sheriff’s homicide investigators announced they were reopening the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the actress’s death after receiving “substantial new information.”
According to investigators, on the night of Wood’s drowning, she and Wagner had been partying on their yacht, the Splendour. They were joined by their friend, actor Walken, and the boat’s skipper, Dennis Davern. At some point, the couple got into an argument, which Wagner later described in his book as over Walken’s comments about his career. He claimed that Wood left the yacht to go back to her cabin and when he went to bed, she didn’t return. The next morning, authorities found her body floating in the water a mile from the Splendour and her small dinghy beached nearby.
In the weeks before her death, witnesses told police they heard yelling and crashing sounds coming from the couple’s stateroom. However, the testimony was inconsistent and no charges were ever filed against either Wagner or Wood.
A former neighbor of the couple, who said he was 12 years old at the time, told investigators that late one night, he woke up to someone banging on the door. He said it was Wood and she was screaming, “He’s gonna kill me.” He says she asked him to take her in because she was so afraid.
In her book, author Finstad describes a number of new details that she claims show more conclusively that Wood did not drown by chance. She also reveals that she and her team have heard from several people who believe Wood was murdered and that her death is connected to the events of that weekend. She is working on a second edition of the book, which will be released in the fall.
Conclusions
As a self-described dutiful girl, Natalie Wood did what was expected of her throughout her life. She kept her mouth shut, not rocking the boat, whether in relationships, with the directors who exploited her or the studio executives who looked the other way. And when she died in 1981 at the age of 43, her death was ruled an accident by authorities.
But the evidence does not support that version of events. Numerous bruises on her body, as well as other details, raise suspicions that she was beaten to death. The author interviews forensic specialists, including Dr. Christina Stanley, the chief medical examiner for Rhode Island, who explains her opinion of the most likely cause of unexplained bruising on Wood’s back legs; the cause and timing of a large contusion on her right forearm; and a scratch in the midline of her throat that might have been made by a fingernail or thumbnail.
The author also interviews former LA County Sheriff’s investigator Peter Pitchess, who worked on the case in 1981. Based on known admissions, the author shows how Pitchess’ cozy relationship with Hollywood “fixers” led to a cover-up of key details in the case.
Several witnesses told police they heard arguments between Wagner and Wood on the night of her death, but nobody came forward to offer that information at the time. Now, however, some of those witnesses are speaking out. The author uncovers the alleged statements of two women who were close friends of Wood, and a new account by a witness whose identity has remained secret for more than 30 years.
The book also sheds light on the mysterious disappearance of Wood’s dinghy, which was found floating a mile away from her yacht. A woman from a nearby resort says she saw Wood getting into the dinghy on November 30, while another witness relates how a drunken Wood quarreled with Wagner about moving the dinghy before her death and fell overboard. Her body was later found in the water wearing a flannel nightgown, socks and a parka. She was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m.