Natalie Wood drowned back in 1981 while boating with her actor husband Robert Wagner off Catalina Island. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is reopening the investigation because new information suggests her death might not have been accidental.
Two full-time homicide detectives have been put back on the case based upon information revealed by yacht captain Dennis Davern in his book Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour.
Davern claims Wood was drinking and taking Quaalude’s with her husband, Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken.
Wagner allegedly became enraged when he saw his wife and Walken speaking, and smashed a wine bottle, yelling at Walken, “What do you want to do, f**k my wife? Is that what you want?”
At that point, Walken returned to his cabin and Natalie and Robert went to their state room. According to the Captain, he heard a loud argument between the couple and thumping sounds, and eventually silence. Wagner later notified the boat skipper that Natalie was missing.
The actor instructed the captain not to call the Coast Guard because his wife had likely headed back to shore in the small dinghy that was missing. Many, including Natalie’s sister Lana, doubted that explanation because the actress was reportedly afraid of dark water.
Davern admitted during an interview on the Today Show, “I made some terrible decisions and mistakes. I did lie on a report. I made mistakes by not telling the honest truth in a police report.” When pressed about whether Wagner was responsible for his wife’s death, the captain replied, “Yes, I would say so. Yes.”
The L.A. County Sheriff will hold a press conference later today to discuss the credible new leads in the thirty year old case.
Veteran actor Wagner released a statement to ET: “Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death.”
More vintage photos of Natalie below, and an exclusive Today Show interview with the boat captain:
Photo Credit: Video Grab