N is for Natalie Wood's Mysterious Death

is for Natalie Wood. Another maritime mystery, but this time of a different flavor.

On the evening of November 29, 1981, Natalie Wood, Oscar nominated actress, met her death in the Pacific Ocean, off Catalina Island.

Natalie Wood
By unknown photographer (ebay) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Natalie was out on the boat with her husband, Robert Wagner (their second marriage to each other, her third overall), Christopher Walken, and the ship's captain. Reports said the trio of actors had gotten quite drunk at a restaurant onshore, and had caused some problems. Waitresses reported that Natalie and Christopher Walken were flirting (or that at least Wood was flirting with Walken).

Originally, the captain just reported them having continued their partying when they returned to the ship. However, in 2011, on the thirtieth anniversary of her death, the captain admitted lying about what happened that night. (It should be noted that this coincided with the release of his tell-all book on Natalie Wood's death*). He now claimed that there was a fight once they arrived back on the ship. He heard Wagner yelling at Walken, claiming he wanted to sleep with Natalie. The couple retired to their room, the fight continuing.

The boat was discovered missing sometime after midnight. Wagner went out searching for her, but came back empty-handed. Harbor Patrol was notified at 1 AM. At 7:30 AM, her body was discovered by a helicopter involved in the search effort. She was bruised, a scrape on her cheek, and the cause was determined to be accidental drowning (some reports include hypothermia as an additional cause). Her blood alcohol level was .14%, and she was found to also have a sea sickness medication and a painkiller in her system.

Natalie Wood and James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause
By Studio (Dr. Macro) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In 2011, in light of the new information reported by the captain, along with claims that others had come forward with information, the coroner changed cause of death from accidental drowning to an undetermined cause of drowning. It has been stated that the bruises on Natalie Wood's person were likely to have been caused before she went into the water, at least some of them. In addition, Robert Wagner admitted to being in a fight with Wood when she died, though I didn't see anything that said he admitted to striking her.

When the dinghy was found, the key was in it, and it was off. It didn't appear to have been used.

A 2001 recording of an interview with Natalie's sister, Lana, included a statement by Lana that the captain had called her while drunk and admitted to having witnessed Robert Wagner kill Natalie Wood. He said they were fighting, and that Wagner shoved Wood. She went over the side, splashing around, but unable to get purchase. Wagner told the captain to let her learn a lesson. Eventually, the noise ceased, and the two men covered it up. Walken was apparently in his room and had no knowledge of what had happened. At least one person on a neighboring boat reported hearing a scream. The police were called.

In all the years I've known of this mystery, I've never seen or heard an opinion from Christopher Walken on what happened that night, nor have I seen any statements about it.

Suggested reasons for her drowning include the following:

• The dinghy might have been knocking against the ship, so Natalie went out to secure it better and slipped in, seeing as how she was under the influence.
• She tried to go for a late night trip in the little boat to see the stars. In her nightgown, down coat, and knee-high socks...
• She committed suicide by throwing herself into the water (though why she untied the ship first is unknown). In 1966, she was rushed to the hospital due to a drug overdose. She admitted to not wanting to live, and it was considered a suicide attempt, so suicide was not an unprecedented move for her.
• Wagner and Walken were having an affair (one of the reasons Natalie was said to have divorced him the first time was due to an affair Wagner had with a man). She walked in on them, so they killed her (yes, I saw this suggested all over, despite the fact that it's probably the least likely).
• She attempted to escape Wagner's rage, but fell off the boat or fell trying to get into the boat. Her heavy jacket dragged her down as it filled with water, and she was unable to save herself.
• Robert Wagner killed her in a jealous rage, whether accidentally or on purpose, then untied the boat to make it look like she'd gone out on it.

An interesting side note: Natalie Wood was deathly afraid of the water.

What do you think happened? Were you aware of the mystery surrounding her death?

May you find your Muse.

*Author Marti Rulli stopped by after this post went up and commented on this. Her full comment can be read below, but the summary is that this book came out first (confirmed publication in 2010), with them working for two more years to get the police to listen to statements the captain had been making since Natalie Wood's death. The case was officially announced as reopened in 2012, two years after the release of the book. I'll leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions. 

*Letter N courtesy of kittenskill, clker.com