When one of Hollywood’s most alluring actresses drowns after a night of drinking on her yacht, questions are sure to arise. Early on, Walken told investigators that he and Wood got into a wine-fueled argument. Keep reading the article below to learn more about Natalie Wood Murder.
In 2011, police reopened the investigation after Davern’s 2008 memoir revealed that he had heard the couple arguing before her death.
In November of 1981, Natalie Wood, who starred in such movies as West Side Story and Splendor in the Grass, disappeared off the coast of Catalina Island. She was found dead a few hours later in the water. Her death was classified as an accident, but a decade ago investigators reopened the case and called her husband at the time, actor Robert Wagner, a person of interest in her death.
Police cited contradictory statements from the captain of her yacht, Dennis Davern, and Wagner, as well as bruises that appeared on the body. In addition, her dinghy was found in a cove a mile from where she was last seen alive. The case remains unsolved, and the investigation into her death continues to this day.
Lt. John Corina of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that more than 100 people have contacted detectives since the case was reopened, but no one has provided a big break. He also noted that there are still many questions in the case, including what happened on the night of her disappearance.
Corina says the discrepancies in the stories of the three men aboard her boat that night and the bruising on her body are red flags for investigators. He believes that what happened to the actress was not an accident.
In 2011, the sheriff’s office held a press conference about the case to ask for the public’s help in finding the answer to what happened to Natalie Wood. Investigators said they would be happy to speak to anyone who had information about the case. The event was a success, and the sheriff’s office hopes that more people will come forward with information about what happened to the star.
In the years since Natalie Wood’s death, there have been several rumors and theories that have emerged, most of them suggesting that she was murdered by someone that she knew or was in a relationship with. In the last few months, a former neighbor of Wood’s has revealed that she once ran from their home in fear for her life. The man who lived next door at the time said he heard her yelling that she was afraid of Wagner and he was going to kill her.
Christopher Walken
The death of Natalie Wood is one of Hollywood’s most mysterious and haunting cases. The circumstances surrounding her drowning remain murky and a subject of intense controversy, even decades after her tragic death. Many believe that her husband, Robert Wagner, was responsible for her murder. In the years leading up to her death, the couple had a volatile relationship. According to one witness, Wood was so afraid of Wagner that she fled their home and sought shelter with a neighbor. The mystery surrounding Wood’s death has led to the reopening of the investigation, and a host of new allegations have emerged about her last days.
The night of her death, Wood and Wagner were moored on a yacht off the coast of Catalina Island. They had been drinking ashore, and the boat’s skipper, Dennis Davern, heard them fighting. After they had finished their drinks, Walken left the boat to go back to her stateroom, and Wagner went after her. He said that he asked her to come back to him, but she refused. He then noticed that her dinghy was missing, and asked Davern to start looking for it.
In a book published in 2008, Wagner recounted the events of that night. He said that they argued and that he believed Walken was so angry that she took the dinghy to shore, where it was found later that morning in a cove about a mile from the yacht. He also wrote that he didn’t think she would have left the boat alone, given her fear of water, and because the dinghy was still attached to the yacht.
Wagner’s story has changed over the years, and he has not spoken to investigators about the incident. However, investigators have made multiple attempts to interview him.
Christopher Walken has appeared in countless films throughout his career, displaying a range of roles from dramatic to comedic. He has also appeared on Broadway, and received a Tony nomination for his performance in Martin McDonagh’s A Behanding in Spokane. In addition to acting, he has also performed as a musician and dancer.
Robert Wagner
In life, Natalie Wood was one of Hollywood’s most alluring actresses. Her movies were often classics that resonated with audiences. Her career had its ups and downs, though, and the latter years of her life were dark and depressing. Eventually, she died in a bizarre accident that many felt was suspicious.
In the months before her death, Wood was working on a sci-fi film called “Brainstorm.” She was married to Robert Wagner at the time. According to her sister, the pair had a troubled relationship. They fought and had several arguments, but they seemed to reconcile just before her death. The book also notes that Wagner treated Lana with outright hostility after her sister’s death. He would invite her daughter and mother to dinner and exclude her. He even ragged on her in the press after she sold some of Natalie’s clothes.
Investigators reopened the case in 2011, 30 years after Wood’s death. The move came after Davern’s 2009 book, “Goodbye Splendour,” claimed that he had heard the couple arguing on the night of her disappearance. A new coroner’s report also cited fresh bruises on the actress’s body, suggesting that she might have been assaulted before drowning.
Police have yet to comment on the book, but a detective from the sheriff’s department told Insider that Wagner, who is now 91, remains a person of interest in the case. The detective said that he has been trying to interview him for more than 10 years, but he refused to talk to investigators. Corina also claims that Wagner and Walken gave conflicting accounts of what happened on the yacht when Wood disappeared.
The book also states that Walken was a suspect in the murder, but the investigation was dropped because of a lack of evidence. Despite the rumors, Lana believes that Walken has nothing to do with the murder. She says that she did not write the book to bring down her brother-in-law, but that she wanted to help solve the mystery of her sister’s death. A rep for Walken did not respond to a request for comment.
Doug Bombard
During her time on the screen, Wood made hits such as Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story, and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. She was nominated for three Academy Awards before her 25th birthday and was a star in her own right.
In 1981, the actress went missing off the yacht she shared with her husband Robert Wagner. Hours later, her body was found floating in the ocean. Though original investigators thought she had fallen off the boat and drowned, recent studies have revealed a different truth.
The case has become a symbol of Hollywood’s darker side, with rumors that Wood was sexually assaulted by a man more than twice her age. The rumors have never been proven, but they have continued to resurface over the years.
Those who knew her best have been reluctant to talk about the incident, but some have opened up in recent years. Dennis Davern, the skipper of the yacht that night, told the LA Times that he didn’t tell police everything he could have because he was afraid to put Natalie and her family in danger.
After the initial investigation, a few years passed before anyone else was involved in the case. But when Lana Wood began to write books about her sister, she grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of information she was able to gather on her behalf.
At this point, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She filed a letter with the Los Angeles County Coroner requesting an inquest into Natalie’s death. This request was granted and an inquest jury convened in January 2002.
The film is based on interviews with Bombard and others who were close to her. Overlaid with historic photographs, Bombard’s recollections paint a picture of Avalon in its heyday. He remembers mornings and evenings spent fishing for white sea bass at Italian Gardens, Hollywood stars who became friends like John Wayne, and the island’s spring training days with the Chicago Cubs.