Since November 1981, the same question has been asked: Did Natalie Wood accidentally drown, or was she murdered? And if someone else took her life, who was responsible?
One of the last people to see Hollywood star Natalie Wood alive claimed she was screaming and accusing her husband, actor Robert Wagner, of something serious.
Writer Marti Rulli spoke with key witnesses for Radar Online and believes these claims could justify reopening the investigation into the actress’s death. Wood drowned in the dark waters surrounding Wagner’s yacht, “Splendor,” near California’s Catalina Island in 1981.
New Testimonies About Natalie Wood’s Final Moments
One witness, who was 17 at the time of Natalie Wood’s death, was on a fishing boat anchored near the yacht where the actress was last seen. Last year, he reached out to Marti Rulli and recalled hearing the actress screaming and a heated argument.
“It still bothers him, and he wanted to tell me what he knows,” Rulli explained. “He heard the argument and Natalie’s screams, which made him uncomfortable. However, he didn’t report it to the police at the time because he assumed it was a clear case of drowning.”
Another witness is an older woman who worked with Natalie Wood in the 1960s when she was an up-and-coming actress. Her story suggests that Wood may have been a victim of abuse during her marriage to Wagner.
Accused Her of an Affair with Christopher Walken?
These new claims align with statements made by Dennis Davern, the yacht’s captain and one of the four people aboard the “Splendor” that night. Alongside Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, and Davern, actor Christopher Walken, a friend of the couple, was also present.
Davern previously stated that Wagner accused Natalie Wood of having an affair with Walken, which led to a furious outburst. Wagner allegedly smashed a wine bottle on the table and argued with Wood before she disappeared. At one point, the captain claims he heard Wagner shouting:
“Get off my f***ing boat!”
Wood went missing later that night, and Wagner reportedly prevented Davern from turning on the lights or using the phone to call for help for four hours. The actress’s body was found the following day.
According to Radar Online, after Wood’s death, a neighbor who lived near the famous couple in Los Angeles called the police. The neighbor reported that, on one occasion, Natalie Wood had banged on their door in the middle of the night.
“She was asking for a place to stay because she said, ‘He’s going to kill me,'” the unnamed person revealed.
Investigation into Natalie Wood’s Death
Robert Wagner, now 94 years old, has consistently denied any claims linking him to his late wife’s death.
“This case will remain open as long as Robert Wagner is alive because he is a suspect,” emphasizes Marti Rulli, who is currently gathering evidence against the actor after the investigation into Natalie Wood’s death was reopened in 2011.
The following year, the cause of Wood’s death was changed from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors,” decades after Wagner was initially cleared of suspicion.
