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November 13, 2018

Natalie Wood’s Death: Murder or Accident?

When people hear the name Natalie Wood they think of the young actress who starred in Gypsy, Splendor in the Grass, and West Side Story.1 What they don’t think about is her very mysterious death. She died at the young age of 43 in November of 1981. She drowned while away for the weekend on a boat trip to Santa Catalina Island with her husband Robert Wagner, their co-star Christopher Walken, and the boat’s captain Dennis Davern. There were many facts that could have played a part in her death, but despite many suspicions and questions regarding her death, her case was closed after only ten days when coroner Thomas T. Noguchi ruled her death an accident.2

Natalie Wood had been in the spotlight since she was about five years old. She was born Natasha Gurdin, but her name was changed to flow better in the Hollywood industry.3 Her stardom grew from there. She became very successful and was nominated and received many awards in her career. She was also a mother of two children, one from her husband Robert Wagner. She was loved by many and talked about all the time. She was known to be a nice caring person who never let the fame get to her head.4  Due to the extent of her fame it was a shock to everyone when she came up dead so unexpectedly.5 

Natalie Wood, In London | Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

When her death first went public, the media spun the incident in various ways giving the public the impression that her death was a suicide or an accident.6 The night before when Robert Wagner noticed his wife was missing he wasn’t concerned, and he waited 15 minutes until he finally decided to go look for her on the boat. When he couldn’t find her, he alerted the authorities. It is questioned why he waited so long to alert the authorities of his wife’s disappearance.7 When they found her body at 8:00 am November 29th, she was clothed only in a nightgown and socks, and it was about a mile away from the boat, and a small dingy was found by a nearby beach. It was first thought she attempted to get on the dingy and things didn’t go as planned.8

Upon investigation by the coroner Thomas T. Noguchi, he found she had a blood alcohol level of 0.14%, which is higher than the legal level to drive while intoxicated in California. He also found traces of two different medications — a painkiller and a motion sickness medication. These could have been affected by the amount of alcohol in her system.9 After only investigating for ten days he ruled her death accidental.10 He claimed that she must have been intoxicated and slipped off the dingy hitting her head and causing her to fall, dying of hypothermia and drowning.11 

Natalie Wood’s case was reopened in November of 2011 because the captain of the boat of the boat on the night of her death came forward and admitted that he lied while being questioned during the initial investigation.12 He was specifically told to stay quiet by Robert Wagner’s family about anything that he knew involving her death.13 He admitted that Natalie and her husband Robert had a very big argument before she went missing that night. Robert had reportedly been very jealous because he believed his wife Natalie was flirting with their co-worker Christopher Walken who was also on the boat that night. This provided evidence that could have made him as a person of interest in the case.14 Despite denying any involvement in his late wife’s death, Robert Wagner was named a person of interest on February 1, 2018.15

Natalie Wood and husband Robert Wagner, at Academy awards dinner | Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Upon more investigation after her case had been reopened, the Los Angeles chief coroner Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran amended her death certificate and declared her cause of death suspicious or “drowning and other undetermined factors”.  In the newly amended document he stated that how she ended up in the water that night was “not clearly established.” This new conclusion was due to the new evidence that had emerged such as suspicious bruises on Natalie’s body and marks across her cheek.16 

These unknown marks on Natalie’s body are thought to have been from the argument she had earlier that night with her husband Robert Wagner. This was never a proven theory, but many people believed this and that he had more involvement in her death that was claimed by him.17

The evidence piled up against Robert Wagner, and these findings brought more questions. Things being questioned were why would Natalie leave the boat so late at night on a remote part of the island? Why was she not wearing shoes on the wet deck of the boat? Why was she only dressed in a nightgown? What kind of husband would not be terrified if his wife went missing from a boat in the middle of the night, especially knowing she was afraid of the water and could not swim well? He even proposed his own theory as to what he thought could have happened to his late wife. He suggested that she was dressed that way because the dingy was banging up against the boat and woke her up. She decided to go out and try to secure it on her own, he said, but fatally slipped, falling in and hitting her head before drowning. These questions and comments only brought more attention to Robert being a person of interest in this case.18

As the coroner re-evaluated Natalie’s body, he found several factors that contributed to their final conclusion. Since there were many questions about the coroner’s findings, it is likely this was why they had a different corner inspect her body the second time. Coroners look at are the specific markings on the victim’s body and piece together if it correlates with what they think happened when the victim died. Everything always leaves a trace as to what happened.19 The coroner considered all of these things, and then concluded her death was suspicious. He had a great amount of evidence from examining her body that led to this conclusion, and the marks and bruises did not correlate with her accidentally falling off the boat or the dingy.20

Another theory that remains is that her death truly was an accident. Forensic pathologist Michael Hunter also played a part in examining her body. He found that some of the bruises on her body could have been caused because of traces of the drug synthroid, which would have made her more susceptible to bruising. This was never fully proven, but it is another theory that people have chosen to believe.21 

Natalie Woods gravesite, located at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery | Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

Natalie’s body currently rests at West Wood Memorial Park, and as of 2018, nobody has been charged with her death. It remains unknown how she ended up in the water that night, or what caused the unknown marking on her body, though her case still remains open and is being investigated.22 The question still being asked is whether Robert Wagner had more involvement in her death than what he claims? Or was Natalie Woods death truly a horrible accident that happened that night on the boat? It may always remain a great mystery as to what happened to late Hollywood star Natalie Wood.

  1. Lana Wood, Natalie: A Memoir About Natalie Wood by Her Sister (New York: Putnam’s, 1984), 4-7.
  2. Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern, Goodbye Natalie. Goodbye Splendour (New York: Open Road Integrated Media LLC, 2014), 25.
  3. Lana Wood, Natalie: A Memoir About Natalie Wood by Her Sister (New York: Putnam’s, 1984), 4.
  4. Frederic Raphael, “Famous actresses I have known: a memoir, featuring Faye Dunaway’s cigarettes, NatalieWood as Zelda Fitzgerald, and more,” Commentary Inc, (2015), 5.
  5. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  6. Frederic Raphael, “Famous actresses I have known: a memoir, featuring Faye Dunaway’s cigarettes, NatalieWood as Zelda Fitzgerald, and more,” Commentary Inc (2015), 5.
  7. Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern, Goodbye Natalie. Goodbye Splendour (New York: Open Road Integrated Media LLC, 2014), 24.
  8. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  9. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  10. Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern, Goodbye Natalie. Goodbye Splendour (New York: Open Road Integrated Media LLC, 2014), 25.
  11. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  12. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  13. Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern, Goodbye Natalie. Goodbye Splendour (New York: Open Road Integrated Media LLC, 2014), 1.
  14. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  15. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Robert Wagner.”
  16. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  17. Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern, Goodbye Natalie. Goodbye Splendour (New York: Open Road Integrated Media LLC, 2014), 25.
  18. Marti Rulli and Dennis Davern, Goodbye Natalie. Goodbye Splendour, (New York: Open Road Integrated Media LLC, 2014), 25.
  19. Kevin Haggerty, “Postmortem: HowMedical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths Stefan Timmermans,” The Canadian Journal of Sociology (2007), 288-290.
  20. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  21. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”
  22. Wikipedia, 2018, s.v. “Natalie Wood.”

Tags from the story

Catalina Island

Christopher Walken

coroner

death

drowning

Hollywood

investigation

Recent Comments

Hannah Hennon

I do not think I have ever heard about Natalie Woods before I read this article. Her death was very tragic either way, and it is sad. It is crazy that the captain of the boat waited so many years to come forward and say all of that. It is weird because what happened now or what he thought to make him come forward after all those years. Either way her death is suspicious as said in the article.

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13/10/2019

7:18 pm

Lesley Martinez

I had no idea there were any questions about her death. I cannot believe that her case was reopened after 30 years, and 7 more years to find that her husband was a person of interest. To know that the criminal justice system allowed for a ten-day investigation without conducting any further investigation is shocking. It’s crazy to know that her case will remain a mystery. May Natalie Wood’s soul rest in peace. Great article!

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05/02/2020

7:18 pm

Yuliana Vasquez

I have never heard of this case before but Its amazing how they barely put any effort into her case honestly because I would have imagined they would have sent people out there to maybe analyze everything. Especially that more things showed up other than she was drunk and why did she have so much medicine in her system? so many questions unanswered. No Justice was made, but great article.

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23/02/2020

7:18 pm

Melanie Fraire

I’ve heard about Natalie Woods before however I’m shocked that I’ve never heard about how mysterious her death was considering she’s a celebrity and they usually get the most attention. From what I read it is very strange and suspicious and the fact that the confession from the boats captain wasn’t enough to emphasize that her husband could’ve been to blame is strange.

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13/04/2020

7:18 pm

Savannah Alcazar

Prior to this article, I had never heard of Natalie Wood. I am always suspicious of drowning deaths while out with partners on a boat. I live by the water, and within the past year or so a man “fell” off his boat and drowned while fishing with his wife when a large ship passed. However, everyone knows how to prepare for that when you live around here. I’m sure there was foul play with Natalie. That is sad for her family and those that loved her.

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26/04/2020

7:18 pm

Victoria Hoggard

I had never heard of Natalie Wood before this article. I have always thought drowning deaths while with other people are very strange and suspicious. I think foul play was involved in her death and obviously others do as well if the case was reopened in 2018. It’s very sad for her family and loved ones to never get closer on what really happened to her.

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06/09/2020

7:18 pm

Kimberly Rubio

I know Natalie Wood the actor; however, prior to this article, I had not known of the suspicious circumstances of her death. It is odd that a woman, who was afraid of the water, would venture out in the middle of the night. I also find it odd that she didn’t have shoes on. I am glad someone came forward to admit they lied during the initial investigation, but that doesn’t help investigators now. It is unfortunate that her family will never know what happened to her.

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21/03/2021

7:18 pm

Maria Ferrer

This is a very well-written and interesting article. It’s hard to believe how people can die at such a young age. I didn’t know who Natalie Woods was and how famous she was but, it’s very interesting how her death was first said to be an accident when evidence pointed out it might not have been an accident. Hopefully, investigators can close her case and find out what really happened to her that night on the lake.

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26/09/2021

7:18 pm

Daniela Iniguez-Jaco

A well-written article! I truly do believe her death was murder because like the article said why would her husband not be concerned. He knew her better than anyone, she could not swim why would he not be tensed up with her being in a boat. Another reason as to why I think he did it is because when police began suspecting him he began to theorize what happened to her, and told the captain to keep his mouth shut. She deserves justice for her death and I hope they figure this out soon and charge whoever is responsible.

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11/11/2021

7:18 pm

Lyzette Flores

Hi Madison, very interesting read! I was hooked the whole time. Honestly, I do not think her death was an accident. A lot of the evidence points to the husband. From the argument to the night before, the bruises on her, and the fact that her husband waited to let authorities know. I hope one day the truth comes to light.

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15/11/2021

7:18 pm

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