DYING NATALIE WOOD SCREAMED FOR HELP!
Witness tells all 37 years after shocking tragedy
THE mystery behind Natalie Wood’s death has been blown wide open! After 37 years, GLOBE reveals explosive new findings about the night the Splendor in the Grass beauty died, including:
• The tragic star’s damning last words — in a tell-all diary that describes her hellish life during her two marriages to Hart to Hart star Robert Wagner.
• A witness’ stunning story about what happened in the first minutes after the West Side Story star mysteriously went missing from her yacht Splendour off California’s Catalina Island.
In an explosive interview, witness Marilyn Wayne reveals she was on a nearby boat with her son and businessman John Payne on Nov. 28, 1981, when she heard screams just minutes after 11 p.m. — around the time Natalie disappeared from Splendour.
“The cabin window
was open,” Marilyn recalls. “We heard repeatedly a woman’s voice crying out, ‘Help me, someone please help me, I’m drowning.’
“I heard a man’s voice, slurred and in an aggravated tone, say something to the effect of, ‘Oh hold on, we’re coming to get you.’
“She repeated the same thing until around 11:25. She was only 90 feet away. I yelled, ‘What can I do? Where are you? I can jump in and help you.’ ”
As her friend John frantically called for help, Marilyn chillingly reveals that “after 11:25 we heard no more sounds.”
The graphic account bolsters Splendour skipper Dennis Davern’s statements describing the Thanksgiving weekend cruise that turned violent when Wagner accused Natalie of having an affair with their guest, her Brainstorm co-star Christopher Walken.
Davern claims a raging Wagner smashed a bottle of wine on a table and began brawling with Natalie, 43, just before she vanished. At one point, Davern heard Wagner scream, “Get off my f***ing boat.”
What’s more, Davern says Wagner, now 89, stopped him from turning on the search lights or radioing for help — and the Coast Guard wasn’t called until four hours later. Natalie’s death was initially ruled an “accidental drowning,” but the case was reopened in 2011. Investigators discovered the original autopsy photos showed Natalie’s body was bruised and battered.
The cause of death was changed to “accidental drowning and
other undetermined factors” — and Wagner was later labeled a “person of interest” by investigators.
“As soon as we looked at the autopsy report and photos, the bruises on her body just stood out,” said L.A. County Sheriff’s Department homicide squad Det. Ralph Hernandez, who is investigating the case.
“We have a lot of evidence that tends to point to a very suspicious death and would certainly indicate the possibility of foul play.”
Famed forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht tells GLOBE the screams for help could also help solve the case. While Walken is cooperating with the authorities, Wagner has suspiciously dodged detectives’ questions since 2011 — steadfastly denying any wrongdoing through his lawyer.
Meanwhile, newly discovered diaries reveal Natalie had spilled her heart out about her unhappy marriages to Wagner — the first ending in divorce in 1962 and a second walk down the aisle ten years later.
“Natalie apparently paints a portrait of herself as being a victim of verbal abuse,” a source tells GLOBE, describing the 100 pages of notes.
“She says she felt isolated and lonely during the marriage.”