In the decades since Natalie Wood’s mysterious drowning off the coast of Catalina Island, questions have lingered. Her husband at the time, actor Robert Wagner, has been cleared as a person of interest in the case.

But her sister, Lana, still has doubts. And new evidence may shed light on what happened that night, including fresh bruises and abrasions found on her body. Keep reading the article below to learn more about Who Killed Natalie Wood.

In life, Natalie Wood was one of Hollywood’s most alluring stars. But in death, the actress remains one of its most mysterious. This podcast explores what really happened on the night of her death, including new evidence that suggests foul play was involved.

In 1981, Wood was 43 years old when she drowned off the coast of Southern California’s Catalina Island. She was aboard her husband Robert Wagner’s yacht with her friend and Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken and the boat’s captain, Dennis Davern. While the cause of her death has been ruled an accident, this story is still a hotly debated one.

The case has never been officially closed, though in the decades following Wood’s disappearance, it was largely shelved. But in 2011, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department reopened the investigation. Among other things, investigators cited the fact that her body was found with fresh bruises and that her stomach contents were consistent with alcohol ingestion. The reopening also brought back scrutiny of Wagner, who was named as a person of interest in the case in 2018.

Investigators reportedly heard from multiple witnesses that Wagner and Walken got into an argument on the night of Wood’s death. However, both men have offered conflicting statements about what actually took place. Davern even co-authored a book about the incident, which revealed inconsistencies in his testimony, raising suspicions about his version of events.

Both Wagner and Walken have said very little about their former partner’s death in recent years. However, in a 2009 interview with People, Walken suggested that he believed Wagner was responsible for her death.

The mystery of Natalie Wood’s death has captivated the public for decades. But now, a new podcast is shedding light on the case, including details about an argument between Wood and Wagner that may have been a factor in her drowning. The podcast is titled Who Killed Natalie Wood? and is available for download on iTunes. It also includes interviews with the detective in charge of the case, L.A. Sheriff’s homicide detective Ralph Hernandez. Check it out and share your thoughts in the comments section!

What Happened to Her?

As one of the most beloved actresses of her time, Wood had a huge following. She was known for being a hard worker on set and learning her lines so well that she could deliver them from memory. She was also a fierce feminist and wanted to break into more serious acting roles than the wholesome ones her mother cast her in. She was so successful that she ended up with a long-term studio contract.

By the time she was 16, Wood was rebelling against her mother’s control. She began dating older men and became a lesbian. She married Wagner when she was 19 and the couple had a daughter before divorcing in 1962. The couple remarried and had another daughter before again splitting up in 1973. After that, she had a relationship with Walken for a few years and it was rumored that he was the one who caused her death.

Wood’s sister, Lana, has always been convinced her brother-in-law had something to do with it. She’s often criticized for her suspicions and called out Wagner in interviews, but he refused to discuss the case. Lana claims he cut her out of his life afterward.

In 2021, she published a book called Little Sister: The Truth About My Investigation of Natalie Wood’s Murder. She claims to have evidence that jibes with her suspicions, such as inconsistencies in witness testimonials and holes in the original investigation. She also says she got a call from the yacht’s skipper, Dennis Davern, that made her think there was more to the story than what she was originally told.

The investigation of Wood’s death was reopened in 2011, and her cause of death was changed from accidental drowning to undetermined causes. Investigators found new evidence, such as scratch marks on the side of her dinghy that weren’t there when it was examined previously. They also noted that her blood-alcohol level was at least 0.14.

Even so, the case is still unsolved. In 2018, authorities listed Wagner as a person of interest in the case but didn’t charge him with anything. He hasn’t spoken publicly about the incident, and Walken has remained silent on the subject as well.

Who Was Robert Wagner With?

The shadow of suspicion has long been cast over Natalie Wood’s death, and her sister Lana and yacht skipper Dennis Davern both maintain that Wagner was to blame. But their evidence is circumstantial, and it would be a tough row to hoe proving he intended for her to die as required for a second-degree murder conviction.

Wagner and Wood met when he was filming “Gypsy” in 1954, and they became Hollywood’s golden couple, appearing together in a number of hit movies. Their marriage lasted from 1957 until 1962, and although they divorced, Wood remarried British producer Richard Gregson in 1969. Their marriage lasted until 1972, when Wood was devastated to discover that Gregson had been having an affair with his secretary. She fled to Catalina Island and hid in her parents’ home, where she weighed 10lb less due to stress.

It was during this time that she began dating Walken, who was shooting Brainstorm at the time of her death. It was a volatile relationship, and Wagner suspected infidelity and even threw her some of his clothes into the sea. Ultimately, he decided to cut her out of his life and stopped inviting her daughter to dinner or her mother to come visit.

On the night of her death, Wagner had invited Walken and several others to join them on their yacht, but they all canceled to avoid their argumentative behavior. There were only Wood, Walken and her yacht’s captain on board. At 1:30 am, a marine radio call was made reporting a missing person and a dinghy on the water’s surface. Don Whiting, who lived on a nearby boat, heard the call and called the Harbor Patrol.

Davern has stated on multiple occasions, including in a 2008 book, that when he went below to see what happened to Wood, she was gone and the dinghy was floating in the water. He says he did not hear a splash or her screaming for help, but did find Wagner distraught, sweaty and nervous. The case was ruled an accident in 1981. But in 2018, police reclassified it as suspicious, and named Wagner a person of interest.

What Happened to Her Body?

In the weeks, months and years after Natalie Wood’s death, a number of red flags emerged. A big one was what happened to her body. Her petite, 61-year-old frame was found floating in the ocean off the coast of Southern California. Her autopsy showed that she had a number of bruises, including a significant bruise on her left ankle area that was almost two inches in diameter.

Her torso was also covered in bruises, with several on her arms and knees and another on her neck. The bruises were described as “fresh” and “significant,” indicating they occurred just before her death, not afterward. The bruises were also microscopically examined from histopathological slides, which confirmed they were subcutaneous hemorrhages — the type that only occur when the skin is alive.

Bruises on a body aren’t unusual, but what made these particularly suspicious was their location. They looked more like a mark left by a struggle or kick rather than an accidental slipping and falling into the water.

Another red flag was what Wagner, Walken and the skipper of the yacht told investigators. They said that Wood and Wagner got into an argument that night, and she went to her cabin, which was right next to the dinghy. They said that after ten or 15 minutes passed and she didn’t return, Wagner assumed she had taken the dinghy out on the water. But it was discovered that the dinghy was missing, and the Coast Guard found her body floating in the Pacific on Nov. 29, 1981.

The original investigation was conducted by Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials and coroner Dr. Joseph Choi, who was a forensic pathologist known for his work on celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Sharon Tate. He was assisted by Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Nagouchi, a pathologist who was also known for seeking fame over fact in his work.

The case was ruled an accident, but in 2012 sheriff’s officials reopened the investigation and changed the cause of death to drowning and other undetermined factors. This was based on Dennis Davern’s new statement that he had told police that Wagner and Walken were arguing that night, and she went to her cabin afterward.