CA - Natalie Wood, 43, drowned off California coast, 29 Nov 1981

[Betty P]

I had a really had time finding a reputable MSM link....he was cleared last spring when the last remaining detective on the case retired. Around the same time the Sheriff's Dept gave an interview clearing him.

Natalie Wood: Watch the star in hidden gem 'The Green Promise'
Wagner was declared a person of interest in Natalie Wood’s death in 2018, but the sheriff's department has since cleared the actor.

Robert Wagner cleared as Natalie Wood case goes cold

“All leads in the Natalie Wood case have been exhausted, and the case remains an open, unsolved case,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

pagesix.com

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has cleared Robert Wagner in its investigation into the death of his late wife Natalie Wood.

“All leads in the Natalie Wood case have been exhausted, and the case remains an open, unsolved case,” Lt. Hugo Reynaga told Page Six Friday.

If its still officially open and unsolved, that doesn't seem to absolve Wagner of any guilt. He was the last person who was with her.

 

[megs1477]

If its still officially open and unsolved, that doesn't seem to absolve Wagner of any guilt. He was the last person who was with her.

I read a dozen articles and they all say the same thing, he was cleared. None say why or how he was cleared, unfortunately.

 

[Lwieckowicz]

If its still officially open and unsolved, that doesn't seem to absolve Wagner of any guilt. He was the last person who was with her.

He, and two other men. Christopher Walken with whom she was having at least an emotional affair, and the captain. I would think that considering the evidence, the circumstance, and that she’d not enter the water voluntarily the 3 men would stay persons of interest if they couldn’t be cleared by concrete evidence which I couldn’t find any online but that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff that hasn’t been made public. This case really bothers me still

 

[Noirdame79]

Robert Wagner is still the only person of interest in this case, he cannot really be "cleared" since he won't speak to the authorities and there are things about her death that only he knows the answers to. The lead detective retired, but he still wants justice for Natalie Wood. Wagner could still be charged in the future. It's still an open case and still considered a homicide, the two other men on the boat - Dennis Davern and Christopher Walken - were cleared long before this so that only leaves Wagner. Time will tell.

 

[Noirdame79]

He, and two other men. Christopher Walken with whom she was having at least an emotional affair, and the captain. I would think that considering the evidence, the circumstance, and that she’d not enter the water voluntarily the 3 men would stay persons of interest if they couldn’t be cleared by concrete evidence which I couldn’t find any online but that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff that hasn’t been made public. This case really bothers me still

Dennis Davern and Christopher Walken have both cooperated with the LASD. Davern went above and beyond that - he's taken polygraphs and even undergone hypnosis. The only person who won't speak to the detectives is Wagner, and it's obvious why. There's nothing to indicate that Natalie was having an affair with Walken. Wagner accused her of it, but he was known to jealous. He was very likely having an affair (he was seen out with Jill St. John ten weeks after Natalie died) so he probably projected onto Natalie. It wasn't the first time he became jealous and acted violently.

 

[Lwieckowicz]

Dennis Davern and Christopher Walken have both cooperated with the LASD. Davern went above and beyond that - he's taken polygraphs and even undergone hypnosis. The only person who won't speak to the detectives is Wagner, and it's obvious why. There's nothing to indicate that Natalie was having an affair with Walken. Wagner accused her of it, but he was known to jealous. He was very likely having an affair (he was seen out with Jill St. John ten weeks after Natalie died) so he probably projected onto Natalie. It wasn't the first time he became jealous and acted violently.

I agree 100% I don’t think the other two men had anything to do with it just pointing out t another post that he wasn’t the only one there which of course muddies the waters further unfortunately. JMO

 

[arielilane]

The legendary actress, Lana Wood and I are working on something unprecedented!! Stay tuned!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1725516505654206633

https://twitter.com/149Zone7

 

[arielilane]

When a famous Hollywood actress who can’t swim ends up face-down in the ocean off of Santa Catalina Island, it definitely becomes a case that turns heads.

“West Side Story” actress Natalie Wood’s death has tracked “tabloid speculation and whispers of a deeper story” for four decades, especially when the L.A. County coroner changed the cause of her death.

Around the 30th anniversary of her death, in November 2011, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department reopened the case and changed Wood’s cause of death from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors,” according to the L.A. Times.

Why did the coroner change the cause of death in Natalie Wood’s case?​

A 10-page supplemental note was added to Wood’s autopsy report in 2011 where it was detailed that there were both “recent bruises” and “a few day old bruises” with “no particular pattern.”

Some of these reported bruises and “abrasions” were found on the “extremities” and on the “left side of the face.”

The note elaborated that the “bruises especially in the upper extremities appeared fresh and could have occurred before (Wood) entered the water.”

After describing the injuries Wood had apparently sustained, the supplemental notecontinued saying that, “there are conflicting statements as to when the decedent went missing from the boat and whether there were verbal arguments between the decedent and her husband.”

...

Did Hollywood actress Natalie Wood really drown on this day 42 years ago? The autopsy report confuses investigators

When a famous Hollywood actress who can’t swim ends up face-down in the ocean off of Santa Catalina Island, it definitely becomes a case that turns heads.

www.deseret.com

Nov 29, 2023, 1:04pm EST

 

[Sor Juana]

West Side Story's Russ Tamblyn Still Believes There Is 'More to the Story' of Costar Natalie Wood's Drowning

During that time, in the early '60s, Tamblyn said he and a "melancholy" Wood took a walk on the beach after she had split from then-husband Robert "RJ" Wagner. (The two eventually reconciled, and remarried in 1972.)

"I couldn't help but think back to the time I had seen RJ Wagner lash out at her during our innocent game of 'Truth,' when she had chosen an Academy Award over their marriage in response to my theoretical question," Tamblyn wrote, referring to a game they'd played during a gathering when Wood and Wagner were still together.

According to Tamblyn, Wood told him at the time after Wagner stormed off, " 'I should have said that I could always marry RJ again, but I didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to win another Oscar.' "

Following her divorce from Wagner in 1962, "I had tried to convince her that her personal problems would pass, but I don't think I got through," Tamblyn writes in Dancing on the Edge. "Clearly her issues were deeper and darker than I had known."

 

[Sor Juana]

South Bay history: Actress Natalie Wood’s 1981 death near Catalina Island remains unsolved

Various explanations have been offered as to what happened to the 43-year-old actress.

In his original 1981 autopsy report, Los Angeles County Coroner Thomas Noguchi stated Wood drowned after boarding the dinghy to get away from the arguing Walken and Wagner.

Two years later, Noguchi changed his tune in his book, “Coroner” (Simon & Schuster, 1983), speculating that Wood, who had had a few drinks, went above board to try to keep the dinghy from banging noisily into the Splendour, which was keeping her awake. Not a practiced swimmer, she then fell into the ocean, possibly hitting her head, and drowned.

Thirty years after her death, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office reopened its investigation in November 2011, citing “new information” in the case. In August 2012, the cause of death on the official autopsy report was altered from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors.”

The change came after the coroner’s office could not discern whether bruises and scratches on Wood’s face and arms occurred before or after she drowned.

Varying accounts of the events surrounding her death told by boat captain Davern, Wood’s sister Lana, the authorities and innumerable sensationalist tabloid articles and gossipy celebrity TV segments have attempted to cast further doubt upon what actually transpired.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Thirty years after her death, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office reopened its investigation in November 2011, citing “new information” in the case. In August 2012, the cause of death on the official autopsy report was altered from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors.”

The change came after the coroner’s office could not discern whether bruises and scratches on Wood’s face and arms occurred before or after she drowned.

Varying accounts of the events surrounding her death told by boat captain Davern, Wood’s sister Lana, the authorities and innumerable sensationalist tabloid articles and gossipy celebrity TV segments have attempted to cast further doubt upon what actually transpired.

In 2020, Wood’s daughter from second husband Richard Gregson, Natasha Gregson Wagner, released the HBO documentary, “Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind.” In addition to celebrating her mother’s life and accomplishments, the film also presents a strong, clear-eyed look at what is known and not known about Wood’s death.

Even so, the case remains officially open to date. Movie star mysteries, even 43-year-old ones, seem to take on a life of their own.

South Bay history: Actress Natalie Wood’s 1981 death near Catalina Island remains unsolved

What happened to the actress has been the subject of speculation for more than four decades.

www.dailybreeze.com