For almost four decades, Natalie Wood’s mysterious death has haunted Tinseltown. But now a Los Angeles sheriff’s detective has reopened the case based on new information.

Davern has long insisted he knows what happened on the night of her death, including allegations that Wagner and Walken fought and that she was pushed into the water. His claims were first made in a 1992 Geraldo Rivera special and then in a 2000 Vanity Fair article. Explore more about Who Killed Natalie Wood in the sections below.

Actress Natalie Wood was spending Thanksgiving weekend in 1981 with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, and co-star Christopher Walken on her family’s yacht when she mysteriously disappeared. On the evening of November 28, she went to bed on the 60-foot Splendour, dressed in a nightgown and socks, but did not return. The following morning, she was found floating in the water near the island of San Catalina in Southern California. The cause of her death is still a mystery, but there are several theories floating around that could have led to the actress’s drowning.

One of the theories focuses on her on-again, off-again marriage to Wagner. They divorced in 1957 and then remarried in 1972. At the time of her death, Wood was allegedly having an affair with Walken, whom she also starred with in the film Brainstorm.

On the night of her disappearance, the three men aboard the yacht were drinking heavily. Wagner and Walken reportedly fought over her, which led to a scuffle in which a glass was broken or thrown. Wagner later changed his story and told police that Wood had fallen off the boat accidentally.

Davern, who had been a skipper on the yacht since before Wood’s death, has said for years that the official account of what happened is not true. He discussed his side of the story in a 1992 Geraldo Rivera special and a 2000 Vanity Fair article. He also worked with author Marti Rulli on a book, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour.

The Los Angeles County sheriff’s department declined to comment on the reopening of the case Thursday, but detectives have reportedly been in contact with Davern about his statements. He did not return a phone call Friday from the St. Augustine business where he operates.

In the past, he has said that Wood got up in the middle of the night to retie a banging Zodiac dinghy and then slipped and fell into the water. He has also alleged that Wood was frightened of dark water because of a prophecy her mother received from a fortune teller.

Christopher Walken

Actor Christopher Walken was a good friend of Natalie Wood who also worked with her in several films. He had a role in Wood’s 1978 Oscar-winning masterpiece The Deer Hunter and appeared with her six years later in Michael Cimino’s flop Heaven’s Gate, but his most iconic performances came in comedies such as Annie Hall and Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery. With sandy colored hair and a pale complexion, Walken had a recognizable look and a penchant for playing mentally unstable characters.

He was 42 when he and Wagner were on a yacht off the coast of California during Thanksgiving weekend in 1981, drinking alcohol. After a night of drinking, she disappeared and was found dead the following morning in the water off Catalina Island. Her body was discovered floating in her nightgown and socks. Police ruled it a drowning accident.

On the night of her death, the couple were arguing. Wagner had been jealous of Wood’s relationship on the set of the film Brainstorm with William Holden, while Walken was romantically interested in her. According to the book Pieces of My Heart, Wagner also believed that Walken wanted his wife for himself.

Davern, who has been speaking out on behalf of Natalie’s family to get the case reopened, told Gregory that he believes the official account of what happened is not accurate. He has been telling his version of events for years, including in a 1992 Geraldo Rivera special and a 2000 Vanity Fair article. He has also written a book, Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, which was published last year.

He said that on the evening of Natalie’s disappearance, the two actors were both arguing and he heard them saying things like, “I can’t stand her.” When he went to check on Walken at night, he said, he didn’t see her. He did notice that a dinghy was floating in the water and called the coast guard.

He has been unable to reach Wagner and Walken for comment on his account of what happened on the night of the actress’s death. But in the book, he shows that their conflicting statements and activities before, during and after Natalie’s death create a trail of inconsistencies that demonstrate they were trying to distance themselves from any blame.

Coroner’s Report

On Thanksgiving weekend in 1981, Hollywood legend Natalie Wood went missing from her yacht. She was found six hours later, drowning. Her death has been shrouded in mystery. Now, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detective has reopened the case, and he is revealing a shocking new theory of how the actress was murdered.

During the original investigation, three men on board the yacht told investigators that Wood slipped off the boat while trying to retie her dinghy. She was terrified of dark water and could not swim, they said. Detective Ralph Hernandez says the initial account of what happened raises serious questions. He points to the numerous bruises on her body and their location, which he believes indicate she was assaulted. He also cites the changing accounts of the men on the boat—Wagner, Walken and captain Dennis Davern—which were revealed in a 1992 Geraldo Rivera special, a 2000 Vanity Fair article, and several books.

He explains why the bruises, which were not noted in the autopsy report, have reopened the case. He also discusses the many false statements made by Wagner, Walken and Davern to shore up their ever-changing stories. He reveals how their comments were used in magazine and book interviews to distance them from blame and the implication of foul play in Wood’s death.

The author brings readers inside the lives of Natalie Wood and her husband Robert Wagner, introducing their backgrounds, their stormy relationship, and setting the stage for what happened that tragic weekend on Catalina Island. He then dives into their professional and personal lives, and he exposes how the on-again, off-again couple were trying to make a comeback in the movies when they began their troubled marriage in 1957. They were divorced in 1962 and remarried two years later, but by the time of her death, they were feuding again. They were one of Tinseltown’s legendary on-again, off-again couples.

Reopening the Case

On November 29, 1981, Natalie Wood, her then-husband Robert Wagner and her “Brainstorm” co-star Christopher Walken were sailing off the coast of Catalina Island in California. After having dinner and drinks at Doug’s Harbor Reef, Wood went to bed, but Wagner and Walken continued drinking aboard the yacht. At some point, they started arguing and fighting. When Wagner returned to the room where Wood was sleeping, he found her gone. Her body was later found floating in the water, dressed in a flannel nightgown, socks and parka.

For more than 30 years, the mystery of Wood’s death was considered a simple accident. The coroner ruled her death accidental drowning and hypothermia, and attributed the bruises on her face to falling in the water while trying to get into the dinghy. Fresh scrapes and bruises were also noted on her body, but no one could put together a convincing case that they were the result of an assault.

As time went by, the questions that arose only fueled suspicions of foul play. Rumors swirled that Wood was murdered by Wagner or Walken, and that the three men involved in her disappearance covered up the crime. But as the years passed, no concrete evidence surfaced and no charges were ever filed.

In 2011, Captain Dennis Davern spoke out about the investigation and what he believes happened to Wood. He told The Record that he believed the official account did not match what actually occurred on that night. He said that he had been pushed to keep quiet at the request of Wagner and didn’t tell investigators everything he knew.

Since the reopening of the case in 2011, several revelations have emerged that do not jibe with the official account of what happened to Wood. Some believe that a 2009 book titled “Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour,” which Davern co-authored with Marti Rulli, was at least partially behind the decision to reopen the investigation. Wagner’s spokesman, Alan Nierob, denied this claim.