I wouldn't be surprised if Robert Wagner either pushed her into the sea or she fell and he just let her die. Someone is covering up the truth here, it's so obvious.

Natalie was forced into the water. She was deathly afraid of the water,plus when they found her body there were bruises on her armes and ankles. i wish they would get to the truth.

I always knew he was responsible. Hopefully Natalie will get justice before he dies.

I have always thought something was strange about her death. She was scared to death of water! Like the captain said, she would have got him to tie up the dingy. But the captain said Wagner was standing there and waited 2 hours before they called someone. And also wouldn't let the captain turn on the light to look for her or the dinghy. I was living not far from where this happened and they didn't do any investigation. I have never felt right about her death!

I remember when this happened, I was in the Marine Corps stationed at Camp Pendleton not far from Catalina Island, I had always thought that Robert Wagner killed her in a jealous drunken rage !

i have read a lot about natalie woods death and how she was terrified of the water you can be sure that her death was not a accident

2019 and nothing has happened. Wagner should have been charged 40 years ago. For the love of GOD. It's so obvious. Take it from someone who knows, the 80's were a time when being gay was so taboo. Wagner KNEW Natalie could destroy his career, yet, he didn't want her to be with another man either. She held his entire career, reputation and sole being in her clutch, and he got rid of her. End of story. Why these people are saying they've been investigating for 30 years is completely absurd to me.

If Natalie feared water, then why would she willingly go in the water. She was forced to. No way this is an "accidental death".

Wagner has something to do with her death period

I read the captain wanted to turn the search lights on and call someone. RW said " No, we're not going to do that." To both. How wierd. Can't think of any sane reason not to do that. Thats why captain said it, because that's what you do.. So he either pushed her off, or she fell overboard. Either way, they both did . . . nothing.

The reason he did not want the search light was he knew she had drowned and didn't want the search light to located her near the boat. So he asked DD not to use the search light and not to alert the Coast Guards and a full search was not done till 4 hours after the plea for help was heard by MM around 11 pm. This is very circumspect and it was ploy to cover up and the body not to be found right away. Since if DD had found the body with search light then he had to explain the circumstances.

Just the fact that Robert Wagner refused to put on the search light after the captain realised Natalie was not on the boat, is enough evidence for me....

I was 11 years old when this happened and even at that young age, I believed something was wrong with this story.

Never believed Robert Wagner was not involved in her death.

When my dad said she drowned I knew there was more to the story than that.

Too bad the lady that heard her yell help, didn't do something.

never mary the same man twice...its always a bad idea

He pushed her oberboard and untied the dingdong and set it adrift.simple.

Unfortunately this happens all to often among the rich and powerful. The average person could not get away with a traffic ticket but with enough money and influence, anything including murder can be bought, threatened or even eliminated. For the sake of truth and justice, if justice exists at all, I hope they will pursue this case until the truth is known and the purpatrator is punished.

The last person who saw NW was RJ just between 10-45 pm and 11 pm when the plea for help was heard by the nearest boat. The couple had deflated their dingy and Marilyn offered to swim and save her but her fiance told her it was dangerous. The body was found face down with the red quilt downer hoisting the body so the body was easy to spot by the helicopter nearly four hours after she drowned. The dingy was on off position and she had about 24 fresh abrasions and bruises mostly on her legs.

The Captain was wrong to lie in the first place.. and he should have turned the flood light on regardless of what her husband said.

It's an old story, the rich and famous get away with it.

WHY DID ROBERT WAGNER REFUSE TO SWITCH ON THE SEARCH-LIGHT AND WHY DID THE CAPTAIN OBEY HIM???!!!!!!

I hope the real truth finally comes out, i never believed it was an accident..too many questions left unanswered.

Well, it's very simple, Robert Wagner killed her. RIP Natalie ♥

Rumors she walked in on Wagner & Walken, no wonder he didn't want her saved !

I have been blessed with the gift of PROPHECY ( some people call it PSYCHIC ). Also, as a screenwriter and entertainer - I'm an admirer of the late and legendary Natalie Wood. I was just a13-year-old kid growing up in South L.A. when I saw the newsreport of her untimely death. Even as a kid the reports of "accidental drowning" - JUST DIDN'T SETTTLE RIGHT!

She had divorced him once for a reason. She should of stuck with that

something here was never fully explained

It's much more probable that a spouse would have something to do with it than anyone else.

Unpremeditated murder is still murder

Wagner murdered Natalie Wood eitheir by deliberately pushing her in the water and not rescuing her, or he murdered her when he chose not to rescue her if she accidentally fell in.

Natalie Wood was extremely afraid of water because she almost drowned when she was young, shooting some movie. So, she wouldn't get in a dinghy by herself. That leaves her either falling off the deck, or being pushed off. Wagner did not want the search lights turned on when she went missing. He also didn't want to immediately alert the authorities. In my book, all of these facts make him culpable. The boat captain seems credible & not in it for the money. His conscience is eating away at him.

Whether he forced her off the boat or not==what kind of "Captain" is "ordered" to do nothing--and obeys. He sat on his dead ass and did nothing--he commented how "hard" it was for him (poor Captain do nothing) to be ordered by Mr Big. Why are so few comments made about Captain do nothing? Now he writes a book, paints, raises a family--good old Captain do nothing.

@TheLegendOfRandy would you think the same if it were your mother, sister, daughter or wife? I'm not saying R.J. killed Natalie, but this story has lived on for decades. The truth, for better or worse, deserves to come out.

He drowned her by pushing her. That's murder to push someone into water she was terrified of with no knowledge of how to swim. He panicked when she threatened him with divorce again during the argument and everyone rides on his say so. Christefer, up's his stardom, the Captain paid off years ago, his stardom he saw going down the tube. Panic insued. She was drunk, not guilty so bad to get drowned and dead!!!! someone should run a petition to prosecute RJ. I am a child who grew up around these people at Santa Monica and Malibu. I know that they showed compassion but the guilty didn't get a chance to drive away with the law all over that boat. Do you really think Christefer Walken couldn't hear the argument when he left to his stateroom??? Get a life, that boat wasn't that big!!!!

And yet, Wagner has gotten off Scot-free-- appalling

I always believed Robert Wagner had something to do with her death, He thought there was something going on between her and Walken. They were filming "Brainstorm" at the time. I am pretty sure she wasnt interested in him. She loved Mr. Wagner. But they had argued and she left the room....Thats all we are certain of. I would love for them to get to the bottom of this as I know Mr. Wagner had something to do with it and he has gotten away with it for 30 years.

so what is happening with the case NOW--2019?

@ibfancyt1 he should have been in jail for 30 years

obviously she was killed

She was pushed off the boat.

Surely this captain is guilty of lying and protecting the guilty parties?

With that said, he doesn't believe any further examinations will label Wood's death as anything other than an accident. The three-time Academy Award nominee was sailing off Catalina Island during Thanksgiving weekend in 1981 on a yacht she owned with husband Robert Wagner when she mysteriously ended up dead in the water. Officials initially ruled her death as an accident, and 30 years later, no evidence seems to prove otherwise.--Comcast News Jan. 10, 2012

It's so unlikely to fall and get knocked unconscious. It's never happened to anyone I know, it's got to be rare. More likely that she was killed, especially when you hear all the information surrounding that night.

Here is a rumor I read on the Web several years ago. I retell it here with the sincere HOPE that the truth comes out! The gist of it is that poor Natalie was murdered because she knew that her husband (or someone else) murdered actor William Holden the boyfriend of Stefanie Powers who was acting with Wagner at the time in the TV series "Hart to Hart". Apparently, Holden was too attached to Powers and "dragging her down". I PRAY that this is NOT true because it seems so heartless!! RIP Natalie!!

The story never seemed to ring true.I only question why the Capt. waited so long,TO TELL HIS TRUTH.

34 years ago, they were fucking way too quick to rule this as only "accidental death". They should have investigated more because I do not believe that Natalie, with her own will, would go out at night and tie a dingy to the boat because by doing that there was no way of avoiding looking at the dark water which she feared to death so much. Wagner, in a rage about his wife possibly having an affair with Walken, must have forced her to go tie that dingy and she fell and she cried for his help but refused to help her which contributed to her drowning. Maybe the stupid detectives or policemen should have considered that 34 years ago but now it's way too late. Even if he is guilty, which I know he truly is, it's extremely hard to dig up evidence after 34 years to convict him. And NO, they will not exhume Natalie's body, that is just way out of the question and especially infinitely disrespecting her. Wagner might not be punished here on this earth for what he did but he will be when he dies, by God.

I love you Natalie,ever though I was not even born when you were alive!

It's really so odd that Wood, Wagner and Walken were all drunk that night, then the 2 men had a fight but neither ended up in the water. Instead, it's the woman who ended up dead in the water the next day. I think it's possible that either or both of the men had something to do with it, possibly the captain, too. Detectives need to get the 3 men in a room and once and for all let them catch one another out in their lies. Maybe then the truth will come out.

Incredible, RIP Natalie

Everybody's on about Wagner, but what about Walken? I think one of them had something to do with it.

2~19~5994 The plot thickens! I wonder why the media keeps spotlighting this case. Is the culprit (RJ) being "shaken down" for more hush money?? And, why do these "culprits" keep getting TV ads? (RJ and William Shatner, to name two.) Some judgment!

Someone is missing. We took a head count and I could have sworn we had 2 passengers.

This is 2021 and Robert still hasn’t been charged for her death

Her last film seemed to promote peace with Russia (she grew up speaking Russian). Dr. Helen Caldicott, an expert on nuclear war, has said we need peace with all nations, including Russia. Many times since 1945, nuclear war has been averted by low level workers with the patience and sensitivity not to push the Automatic Launch on Warning. Natalie Wood (stage name) probably would have gone on to have a very impactful life. Her life was just beginning. Speaking of mysteries: Have you seen Kiki? She is only 14 years old, average weight, average height, African American, last seen at the Hilltop Mall area of Richmond, California, across the Bay from San Francisco (where Natalie Wood lived in her early years). Kiki (her nick name) please call your family, the Richmond police, or the Larkin Youth Center in San Francisco. Look them up on You Tube, their phone number is listed on their You Tube page or Wikipedia. She was a student at De Anza High School in Richmond. She has been missing since about January 15, 2018. Her family posted fliers about her and wants her home. Her last name is Smith. Please post a flier wherever teens hang out in your city..

Apparently, according to Lana, their mother, who fancied herself in having psychic powers, had warned Natalie about "dark water" since childhood and instilled this irrational fear into her. You would think Natalie would learn to swim to avoid this prophecy...which ironically I think, only fulfilled it.

Robert Wagner what did you do?

Just like the movie he was in A Kiss Before Dying! Joan Woodward. Unbelievable!!!

Ridiculous! She was afraid of water and vacations on a boat? That is like having a fear of flying and buying an airplane!

So what is the new account ?

I believe Wagner is guilty. There was always a suspicion about his account. What he may have done is bang Natalie in the head ( it is said she had be using to her head), and she probably got dizzy and swooned), and he most likely took her body and not threw it, but quietly set her body in the water and let the tide take her. Than he may have untied the dingy and push it away from the boat. No one heard a splash. He had anger issues and was terribly jealous, and full of drink. My questions would be, was Wagner wet when Dennis Devern was told that Natalie was missing? How was the dingy unloosed? We're the ropes cut? And why didn't Wagner allow the captain to put on the search lights? Probably because her body was still too close to the boat, and it was almost pitch black so No body could really see anything in the water unless search lights were used. No matter what, this is still a terribly tragedy. I heard that some folks feel Wagner is too old to be investigated. Well, Bill Cosby was convicted and he also, is in his 80's, so.... The L A police did not do a good job than; they were too "star struck". And Wagner had powerful friends who were able to influence the investigation, ( Sinatra, Reagan, etc). If the crime happened in this era, he would not have been able to get away with it. RIP, Ms. Wood. Your husband is a coward and a very bad man. Court of public opinion knows he killed you..

She was left to die and or murdered same thing.. Very sad very very sad and disturbing

@DanKelso , who would want to have an affair with walken??

This country just talks they will never do anything with him

look what happens when you're in a boat with Christoper Walken

She had a true fear of water an to die from it . Wagner an walken kept changing their stories . In the end they were covering their own asses . Gives a new meaning to bros before hoes :-/ a mother is gone - a daughter- a sister - an a wife . A good human being who so intelligent emotionally saw death an the coldness of her killer . She was cold an scared in that water struggling for her life . This. End to me is so sad for Natalie . I wish she made it . We can only pray for justice . I will unt

its 2020 and Nothing has ever been done!

Has anyone got a link to the 48 hours episode on this? I firmly believe this Kashner guy as VF have a credible rep for fact finding researcher into everything they cover and leave nothing unturned...

It's so hard to believe, Natalie Wood & Robert Wagner,a couple so much in love, always looked so happy together. They are saying Robert Wagner killed her. If he did, what caused him to do something like that. The years they were together, were they known to have such violent fights? I'm sure it would have gotten out, it would be on the news. It's a very, very sad story. I feel for the children, losing their mother at such a young age. It must be hard when they hear their father killed her. Just so sad for all of them. Beautiful Natalie, one of the great beauties in Hollywood. RIP.

Now what? This is not an official police investigation .Only a magazine!

Well, I remember back in 1981 the police having said that the dinghy was slamming against the yacht because of the storm causing a loud banging noise. They speculated that she tried to secure the dinghy and fell into the water.

you said twice that you KNOW wagner had something to do with it. on what exactly do you base this conclusion?

never marry the same man twice

The four of them came back to the Splendour (an extra u, was added by NW, for the movie "Splendor in Grass" so not upset RJ) around 9-30 pm. RJ broke a wine glass after heated argument. CW, retired. Around 10-30 pm a heated argument broke out between RJ and NW, She went to the deck in a night gown and wool sox. RJ got her quilt downer. The last time she was seen on the deck was by DD and RJ told him to put on the music (MW heard the plea at 11pm and loud music) The dingy was gone.

@wobblesnorts Accusations must be made in order for charges to surface....

@emacat1215 The police also said OJ wasn't a suspect, right up until they got an arrest warrant.

RJ, did not want search lights or coast guard right away and the no one heard her plea for help pn Splendour, since the music was loud on the boat. MW heard her plea and the loud music that lasted for 15 min, then eerie silence. RJ reported to coast guard "one of the parties on the boat is missing" instead of my wife is missing or NW is missing. The Coast Guard was told after 2 hours and do a "low key" search. The last person who saw her was RJ. Contrary to reports it was DD who ID'd the body.

There is no evidence but only speculation.

I am wondering whether Natalie had been rendered unconscious on the Splendor and her body was carried outside the ship, and the suspect(s) held her upside down in some trough of water, to give the impression she drowned? This would mean she was not actually thrown in the sea (Catalina Island) but instead the suspect(s) put her in her swimming trunks to make it look like she drowned.

We'll never know the truth to this case, it will just fizzle out once again. Re-opening this case is like taking a walk down memory lane, and nothing more. Wagner and Walken are both old men now, their days are therefore numbered and neither will ever be considered suspect, let alone convicted.

Natalie was leaving Wagner! Truth is something he doesn’t want to discuss he’s sticking to his story all along as it’ll be suspicious 😒 if he changes it now 👮‍♂️

Dont' minimize her death, yes they are opening the case 30 yrs later which can be seen as pointless, but many are still curious and im sure her family would want justice. A woman ( a beautiful famous one at that ) died mysteriously, of course people are still going to be curious.

Killers are not normal people! They have serious sothiopathic traits in their blood. You would have to know Robert Wagner, to know if he killed Natalie. I do not know much about him so I don't know if he killed her. Does Robert Wagner have sociothiopathic traits? Anyone!

They found brusing on her face arms and legs. They had a fight. I feel Robert beat her and then dumped her into the water and untied the dingy.

I remember when it happened all that was said she'd been drinking & fell over board.(big cover up)

She´s been investigating for 30 years and so what? she doesn´t do anything. Only words, with no action.

Although a tragic death was involved to a beautiful actress, & Wagner should have been held accountable, don't forget that someone is receiving royalties, assets, etc from Natalie Woods estate could that be motive or coincidence from it all ?

He was an extremely jealous man and specially under the influence of alcohol. The fight between RJ and NW was both physical and verbal with lot of things thrown around in the state room. She wanted to get away from the scene and went to the deck follower by RJ. No one except RJ, knows what exactly happened in the last 15 minutes of her fate. The dingy was tied with two ropes-not one as reported in the news-and it was tied by DD himself. The dingy was missing when RJ told DD that she was missing.

wow that woman was beautiful.

There were some of the finest group of pathologists involved with this case and this is nothing but media BS. They make me sick!

I have this image of Wager being pursued by a little man in a trench coat saying :"just one more thing"

@O2streaming 30 yrs ago people did not get envolved in domestic "squabbles", Sadly...

Hmmm...the police just had a press conference, and announced that Wagner was NOT a suspect. So....sounds like this captain's story is even MORE iffy. Maybe it was the captain?

Poor investigation,then!

It was said at the time that she tried to get in the dingy because Walken and Walker were drunk and arguing. She wanted to get away frm it and get to shore. Who knows the truth? I only know she is still missed today and could have gone on to give us so many more good films. RIP Natalie

If Wagner isn't a suspect maybe Walken will be??? who knows. I remember a while back it was said she had a head injury as well which they attributed to hitting her head as she fell while trying to reach for the dinghy which of course sounds like someone hit her on the head w/ something. It'll come out eventually.

Wagner guilty but you can't put number two in prison

that boat wsn't that big so why it took them so long to search the boat i don't buy wagners actions say a thousand words i think he killed her on the boat or knocked her unconscious and threw her over the side

They said she was drunk, so if she was, she would have gotten into the dinghy fear of water or not, because when you're drunk, you think you're able to leap tall buildings with a single bound.