WORLD Heat on Wagner in death review
SCREEN veteran Robert Wagner has been named a “person of interest” in the death of his late wife Natalie Wood – 36 years after she passed away.
The revelation was made by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lieutenant John Corina in a new CBS documentary about the actor’s death.
He told CBS’s 48 Hours: “As we’ve investigated the case over the last six years, I think he’s (Wagner) more of a person of interest now. I mean, we know now that he was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared.”
Wood, known for her highprofile roles in West Side Story, Miracle On 34th Street and Rebel Without A Cause, was found dead in the water in 1981 at age 43.
The Academy Award-winning actor was travelling on her family’s yacht Splendour with Wagner, the ship’s captain Dennis Davern and her friend and fellow actor Christopher Walken, off the coast of Catalina Island at the time of her death.
Investigators closed the case two weeks following her death, ruling it an accident.
However, the sheriff’s office reopened the case in 2011 and changed Wood’s cause of death from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined factors”.
Investigators, who have been working on the case for six years, told 48 Hours they were ready to speak with Wag- ner, who has refused to talk to officials about Wood’s death since the case was reopened.
At the time of her death Wagner, Walken and Davern told investigators Wood “took off in a dinghy and went ashore”.
However, Wood said in previous statements that she was terrified of the water.
Following their original statements, Wagner and Davern have changed the chain of events that occurred.
Davern said in 2011 that Wagner shouted at Walken, “do you want to f... my wife,” before smashing a bottle of wine and then later yelled, “get off my f...ing boat”.
Rumours related to Wood’s death have circulated for years and “foul play” has been suspected. Walken spoke with investigators recently regarding her death.
The autopsy report specified Woods had fresh bruises on her body. “She looked like a victim of an assault,” Ralph Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told 48 Hours.