Almost thirty-seven years ago, actress Natalie Wood died while sailing near Catalina Island, a posh retreat not far from the city of Los Angeles. Since that night on November 29, 1981, Wood's case has become fodder for speculation in Hollywood. Many have long claimed that Wood's death was not an accident, and indeed say that the popular starlet was murdered. The suspected killer, according to these theories, was on the boat with Wood that night. That means that actors Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken are possible suspects.
These theories gained enhanced credibility this week when it was announced that police officials in Los Angeles County have re-opened Wood's case as a "suspicious death." Wagner, who was married to Wood at the time of her death, is now considered a "person of interest" in the case.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant John Corina, suspicion of Wagner stems from the fact that he was one of the last people to see Wood alive.
"I mean, we know that he [Wagner] was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared," Lt. Corina said in a CBS "48 Hours" special that has yet to be aired. Wood's death was originally classified as an accidental drowning in 2011. Since the case has been re-opened, Wagner and his attorneys have refused to comment on the matter.
Night of mystery
On the night when Wood disappeared, she was then co-starring alongside Walken in the film "Brainstorm." According to Dennis Davern, the captain in charge of the yacht that night, Wood and Wagner had engaged in a loud, possibly violent argument.
Both had also been drinking heavily, as well. According to Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, new testimony from several eyewitnesses forced investigators to reconsider what took place on the Splendour that night.
Nishida said that one of the new eyewitnesses claims that they heard Wood and Wagner yelling while both were inside of the yacht's stateroom on the night in question.
Similarly, this eyewitness heard crashing sounds coming from the couple's room. While this testimony seems to indicate that Wagner may have had a motive for allegedly killing his wife, Nishida was quick to tell the media that Los Angeles County investigators do not have enough evidence "to make an arrest at this moment." However, Lt.
Corina told "48 Hours" that the new eyewitnesses are entirely credible.
Wagner's side of the story
87-year-old Robert Wagner has been interviewed numerous times by police officers regarding the death of his ex-wife. In 2013 alone, Wagner was interviewed over ten times. In his 2008 memoir, Wagner admits that he got into a heated argument with Christopher Walken that night on the Splendour. However, Wagner says that both men went to bed after the incident. Wagner only later realized that Wood was no longer on board and that a dinghy was missing.
Davern, for his part, has repeatedly told the tabloids that Wagner and Wood fought that night because Wagner was convinced that his wife and Walken had a romantic relationship.
"The fighting continued. And the -- to the back of the boat. I was concerned that something really bad was going down, because of the fighting, the arguing was so intense," Davern told "48 Hours" back in 2011. Wagner has consistently maintained that Davern's story is false.
Wood and Wagner originally got married in December 1957. At the time, Wood was just eighteen while Wagner was twenty-six. The couple got divorced in April 1962, but remarried ten years later. Wood is best remembered for her roles in the films "Miracle on 34th Street," "Rebel Without a Cause," and "West Side Story."
