The mysterious death of actress Natalie Wood in 1981 stunned Hollywood. She was found dead in a dinghy off Catalina Island after spending the night drinking with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, and co-star Christopher Walken. Keep reading the article below to learn more about Natalie Wood Death.
The official cause of death was accidental drowning. But many have questioned this theory, especially considering Wood’s lifelong fear of water.
Natalie Wood died at the age of 43 on a fateful weekend in 1981 aboard her yacht Splendour off the coast of Catalina Island. Her body was found floating in the water the next morning. Her death was ruled accidental by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office. A toxicology report revealed that Wood had a blood alcohol content of 0.14 percent at the time of her death.
For years, rumors and conspiracy theories have swirled around Wood’s drowning. Her family, friends, and co-stars have all provided different accounts of what happened that night. While the details of her death may be murky, one person has been a constant presence in the story – boat captain Dennis Davern. The St. Augustine native has been quoted in numerous publications and has spoken about his time with Wood in interviews.
A few weeks after her death, Davern published a book called Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, which claimed that Wagner and Walken had argued before the couple left the yacht for dinner at Doug’s Harbor Reef. He also said he heard noises that he thought could have been them hitting each other. In 2011, LA County sheriff’s officials reopened the case after examining Davern’s claims. The coroner changed the cause of death from accidental drowning to “undetermined.”
During her life, Wood was known for her larger-than-life presence on screen and a glamorous offscreen lifestyle. The San Francisco-born actress rubbed shoulders with Hollywood legends like John Ford and Elia Kazan and took the world by storm, both as a star of musicals and sci-fi flicks. She also had many romantic entanglements and was a close friend of Elvis Presley.
Despite all of her achievements, a dark cloud hung over her during the last few years of her life. She was plagued with health issues and financial woes, and her relationship with Wagner seemed to be on the rocks. In fact, he had been treating her with outright hostility, often excluding her and their daughter from meals and dragging her name through the media after she sold some of her clothes.
Suspected Suicide
Natalie Wood was one of the most beloved movie stars of the ’50s and ’60s, appearing in such classics as Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story. However, her life ended tragically in 1981 when she drowned off the coast of California’s Santa Catalina Island. Despite multiple theories about her death, the mystery remains unsolved. This is partly because of conflicting witness testimonies and the fact that no evidence has ever been found to support any of the theories.
The mystery sparked new interest when detectives announced this week that her widower, Robert Wagner, is being treated as a person of interest in the case. The 87-year-old actor has always maintained that he didn’t do anything to kill his wife.
According to a report from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, more than 100 people contacted investigators after it was announced that the investigation would be reopened. This included many who knew Wood personally or professionally. During the press conference, detectives said they were looking into several new pieces of information. The latest development in the case relates to an addendum to her autopsy report. In it, the coroner’s office noted that there were some bruises on Wood’s body that weren’t present during her initial autopsy. The report states that some of the bruises could have occurred before she fell into the water, but it was impossible to determine when.
Another piece of new information involves the timeline of events on that night. The police report originally stated that Wood was last seen leaving the couple’s yacht, Splendour, around 1:30 a.m. It was about four hours before her body was found floating a mile from the boat. However, in an interview with NBC’s Today show in 2011, Davern said that he told officials she had left the yacht around 3:30 a.m.
The final piece of new information concerns a witness named Doug Bombard. He says that he saw something red bobbing in the water the morning after Wood’s death. He also claims that he heard someone shout, “She’s dead!” The report says that the Coast Guard wasn’t called until about 9:30 a.m., which is about three hours after Wood was reportedly seen.
Reopening the Case
Actress Natalie Wood was found dead on November 29, 1981, after falling overboard from the yacht she shared with her husband, actor Robert Wagner. Her death was ruled an accident, but her demise has always raised suspicions of foul play. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday that it’s reopening the case and will hold a press conference on Friday to discuss new information.
The sheriff’s department wouldn’t say who prompted the reopening of the case, but it did state that “people have come forward with additional information.” They will discuss this new evidence at a news conference on Friday.
The original investigation ended in 1984 when police concluded that Wood had slipped into the water while getting into the yacht’s dinghy. The dinghy was discovered floating a mile away from the yacht. Investigators also ruled that she had suffered hypothermia and drowned.
However, it was later revealed that bruises and scratches on her body were the result of an assault that occurred prior to her fall. In 2000, Sam Kashner revisited the tragedy for Vanity Fair and detailed new details of that night. And in 2011, Suzanne Finstad published her definitive biography of Wood, Natasha, which also shed more light on that tragic night.
In 2010, Wood’s sister, Lana, and the captain of the yacht she was sailing on at the time, Dennis Davern, both asked the sheriff to reopen the case. Lana said she believed her sister and Wagner had argued before she died, but did not suspect foul play. Davern has also stated that he believes his testimony was misinterpreted by investigators at the time.
But the sheriff’s department was not convinced. Despite the new evidence, they have decided that there is not enough to bring any charges against anyone involved in the case. The reopening of the case has reignited speculation about whether there was foul play or not. The case will now be reviewed by a new district attorney to see if they can find any more answers about the actress’s death. It’s unknown when the case will be closed, but if the evidence isn’t strong enough to charge someone with murder, it may never be solved.
Final Words
With a career that spanned four decades, Natalie Wood was beloved in Hollywood for her many hits including West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause. She was also ahead of her time as a feminist and advocate for the LGBTQ community. Her death at age 43 in 1981 is shrouded in mystery.
Wood’s autopsy revealed she drowned and had suffered hypothermia. She also had several fresh bruises to her arms and knee that could have been inflicted by a fall, according to an Los Angeles County coroner’s report.
The LA coroner ruled her death an accident, but it did not dismiss speculation that she was murdered. Some believe that Wagner killed her in a jealous rage or as retaliation for a fight they had before she went overboard. Others think she fell overboard due to a medical condition that caused her to lose consciousness.
Her oldest daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, has continued to push for a more thorough investigation of her mother’s death. She’s interviewed her late mother and brother, and has been talking to family members and friends who knew the actress well.
It’s not surprising that conspiracy theories persist when so little is known about what happened on the night of November 29, 1981. Wood was last seen on a yacht anchored off the coast of Catalina Island. She was with her husband Robert Wagner and his co-star in her last film, Christopher Walken.
Neither Wagner nor Walken saw what happened to Wood. The next morning she was found dead, having slipped overboard when trying to board the dinghy. The Los Angeles County coroner said her blood alcohol level and fresh bruises to her arms and legs were consistent with falling into the water.
There have been various reports of foul play, from the idea that Wagner choked his wife to the theory that he had her run over with the boat’s propeller. Despite the fact that many of these rumors are ridiculous, they continue to make the rounds on the internet and in print.
Until a definitive explanation of what really happened is given, the Natalie Wood death will continue to attract media attention. This, combined with the myriad of books and articles written on the topic, ensures that it will never go away.