Surprisingly, authorities have announced last Thursday night they were reopening the investigation about Natalie Wood’s death, which occurred 30 years ago.
The actress drowned off the coast of Catalina Island in California, falling from the boat she owned with husband Robert Wagner, and although it was declared an accident, the circumstances surrounding her death have remained mysterious. Was it really an accident?
Wood was partying on the boat with her husband and Christopher Walken, and it was reported at the time she had been drinking before she died. In 2008, Wagner wrote in his autobiography that Wood went to the master cabin during an argument between him and Walken, may be trying ‘to get away from the argument’, or ‘ trying to tie the dinghy’, as she had done before.
In 2000, Vanity Fair wrote about a number of ambiguities about the case, and in particular the statements from Dennis Davern, the yacht’s captain, who revealed that Wood and Wagner had been quarrelling before her fall. Recently, the captain has been all over the TV and he has even admitted to lying on a report about her death. When he appeared on the today show, Davern was really hesitating when he spoke and reluctant, to say the least, to tell his story, but he finally said he thought Wagner was responsible for the actress’ death. On CNN, Davern said ‘he was asked by Wagner not to turn on the boat’s search light or call a nearby restaurant after Wood went missing from their boat’, and that ‘Wood and Wagner, who had been fighting due to Wagner's jealousy over his wife's apparently closeness with Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken, took their fight to the ship's aft deck before things went silent’.
On Thursday, L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca told The LA Times that detectives now want to talk to the captain, declaring that he ‘made comments worthy of exploring’.
Could the fight between Wagner and Walken had been a fight between Wagner and Wood or even the three of them?
Autopsy reports showed facial abrasions and bruises along arms of Natalie Wood, who once declared ‘her greatest fear was of dark seawater’.
On Friday, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Lt. John Corina told reporters at a news conference that the original finding about her death being an accidental drowning had not changed, and that Wagner was not considered as a suspect.
It is so weird that someone is revealing key elements about a case, 30 years after it happened. Some are saying it is money motivated, but he admitted on national TV he lied about the death of a beloved actress, and he practically accusing someone of homicide. Not something easy to say.
It is so reminiscent of other cases, like Notorious B.I.G.’s case, which was recently reinvigorated as a result of new information, and of course Elliott Smith’s case. When listening to Natalie Wood’s story, I could not stop drawing parallels: a couple arguing and probably fighting, a blurry story about what exactly happened, one member of the couple waiting some time before looking for help, and a case not fully investigated. But 30 years is a long time, let’s hope authorities will not wait that long for Elliott Smith.