Actress Natalie Wood was 43 when she died on a yacht. While her death has been officially ruled an accident, the details remain unclear.
Natalie’s co-star Christopher Walken publicly spoke about the night of her death two years later, and yacht captain Dennis Davern wrote a memoir that led to investigators reopening the case in 2011. Still, many questions remain. Scroll down to explore more about Who Killed Natalie Wood.
On November 28, 1981, Wood was on a yacht with her husband, Robert Wagner, and friend Christopher Walken. She had just finished filming Brainstorm. After not returning to the yacht following dinner, Wagner searched for her, only to find her missing. Authorities determined she had drowned.
Her body was found the following day, floating in a cove. She was wearing a nightgown and jacket, with bruises on her arms and legs and an abrasion on her face. An autopsy revealed that she had suffered hypothermia and drowned, with a high blood alcohol level and traces of motion-sickness medication in her system.
Investigators questioned the official account. Skepticism arose around the explanation that she slipped overboard while trying to board a dinghy. Her sister, Lana, insisted that Wood, who couldn’t swim and was terrified of water, would never have left the yacht on her own.
In a documentary, Davern revealed that after they had eaten a meal offshore and returned to the yacht, “a lot of fighting, yelling, and things being thrown around” occurred. He claimed that Wagner grabbed Wood and pulled her away from Walken before she excused herself. Davern said Wood mentioned going to her room and that he heard her arguing with Walken before leaving.
Wagner has always denied involvement in his wife’s death. However, in a 1992 interview, he admitted they argued about his affair with actress Shelly Winters the night Wood disappeared. He also suggested Wood had been flirting with Walken, which prompted a jealous Wagner to push her off the yacht.
In the documentary, Davern, who co-authored the book Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour with Marti Rulli, alleged that Wagner held him hostage and prevented him from speaking to the police. He appeared on a talk show with Rulli and was questioned about why he waited so long to reveal what happened.
What Happened on the Boat?
Questions about that night have persisted for years. One major inconsistency was the account given by Davern, who was aboard the yacht. He later admitted that his initial statement to the police was “incomplete, sanitized, and in some places downright false.”
The story goes that after a night of drinking, Wood and Wagner argued about their relationship. They left the main area of the yacht for their staterooms. Davern claimed to hear them discussing philosophical topics, but his recollection differed from what Wood had told him previously. He also mentioned that the sound of the dinghy banging against the yacht caused her to check on it, leading her to accidentally slip while securing it.
The coroner’s report indicated that Wood had bruises on her body, consistent with falling overboard. But questions remained about why she left the yacht, where she was headed, and how she was not noticed by those aboard.
Lana Wood, in her memoir, questioned the official sequence of events. She emphasized that Natalie was terrified of dark water, making it unlikely she would have ventured to the boat’s stern alone on a dark night to untie the dinghy.
More than 30 years later, the investigation into Wood’s death was reopened. Detectives received new information that warranted a fresh look at the case. They have since changed the cause of death from drowning to “drowning and other undetermined factors.” It is suggested that some of the bruises on her body may have been sustained before she entered the water.
What Happened to Natalie Wood?
On the weekend of November 28-29, 1981, Wood and Wagner were aboard a yacht. Christopher Walken and Dennis Davern were also present. The group had been filming Brainstorm together.
When the yacht returned to the dock the following morning, Wood was found dead in the water about a mile away. She had bruises on her arms and body, an abrasion on her cheek, and traces of motion-sickness medication and painkillers in her system. Her blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit.
The medical examiner initially ruled her death accidental. However, the bruises on her body raised questions. A new report in 2013 suggested she may have been dragged into the water or possibly pushed. Police reopened the investigation, naming Wagner a person of interest.
For years, Wagner remained silent about the tragedy. But in 2010, he claimed Wood had been pushed into the water by someone on the boat and that he had tried to rescue her. This version of events did not sit well with Lana, who remained close to the couple and their children. She doubted Wagner’s story, finding it inconsistent with his character.
Lana eventually began to believe that Wood’s death may not have been an accident. In her book, she consulted experts to discuss the impact of prescription drugs and hypothermia on Wood’s death. She also explored controversies surrounding the case.
Who Killed Natalie Wood?
Decades after Natalie Wood disappeared from the yacht, the case remains unresolved. The actress, known for films such as West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause, drowned at age 43, but the circumstances remain unclear. Conflicting accounts from her husband, Dennis Davern, and Christopher Walken have fueled various theories.
Initially, police ruled her death accidental. However, a year later, the investigation was reopened, and the cause of death was changed to undetermined. The new report noted fresh bruises on her body and raised suspicion that she had been assaulted before falling into the water.
New evidence suggested the bruises may have been sustained before Wood jumped from the yacht, but no nail clippings were taken to determine when they occurred. Scratches on her throat and face were not initially considered significant.
Davern maintained that Wood, who was a nervous swimmer, panicked and jumped from the yacht in an attempt to reach the shore. Wagner has always denied involvement and refused to cooperate with investigators when the case was reopened.
Moriarty’s investigation examined controversial autopsy photos and documents, shedding light on possible errors by the coroner. This case, involving high-profile figures, remains shrouded in mystery.
