A New Suspect In The Natalie Wood Case Could Put Hollywood’s Greatest Mystery To Rest

It was a story that could have come from a movie. A beautiful actress vanishes from a private yacht — only for her body to be discovered the next morning in the sea. But this horrible tragedy really happened to Natalie Wood. And for years, people have wondered: was it an accident, or was it murder? Natalie’s own sister has since spoken out, and what she had to say may finally put the mystery to bed.

The four

There were four people on the boat, the Splendour, that night. There was Natalie, of course, and her partner Robert Wagner — known to some as “R.J.” The others were actor Christopher Walken — still a star to this day — and Dennis Davern, the boat captain. But as for what actually happened on board? Well, different people have said different things.

The ruling

We do know the exact date Natalie was pulled from the ocean: November 29, 1981. We also know the official verdict on her death. Dr. Thomas Noguchi, who has been called “the coroner to the stars,” ruled that the incident was an accidental drowning. Then the case was officially closed by the authorities.

Bruises

Noguchi explained in his summary why he believed it was an accident. Though the body had “numerous bruises to [the] arms and legs,” he said, they were “superficial and probably sustained at the time of drowning.” He concluded, “No other trauma noted, and foul play is not suspected at this time.”

Suspicious

But despite that ruling, many still thought there was more to Natalie’s passing. Then, as time went by and the internet came into being, amateur sleuths and theorists were more easily able to share their thoughts. And in 2011 the case was reopened. The official verdict on Natalie’s death was changed to “suspicious” seven years later.

The family

Of course, the people who were most invested in the case being reopened were Natalie’s family. And they too have their ideas about what exactly happened on that night. Natalie’s sister, Lana, even went so far as to publish a book making clear her own beliefs and accusations about the death.

Little Sister

Lana’s book is called Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood, and she had indeed done a lot of investigating. For obvious reasons, the case was something desperately emotional for her. And Lana wasn’t afraid to point fingers at people she believed had hurt her sister — not just on the night Natalie died, but throughout her life.

Affairs

One of the folks for whom Lana reserved the most anger was Wagner. According to her, Natalie’s marriage was turbulent, to say the least. She claimed in the book that Wagner’s affair with a male staff member had so affected Natalie that she had turned to substance abuse.

Marriages

Lana recalled in her book that while there was a mutual animosity between her and Wagner, she had never revealed this to Natalie. She believed he was a cheater and bad for her sister. Wagner and Natalie actually got married, divorced, and married again. And for the sake of her sibling, Lana kept her thoughts to herself.

The devil you know

But Lana wasn’t able to hold her tongue any longer when Natalie announced she was remarrying the man she’d previously left. Lana wrote in the book that she “hit the roof” about Natalie’s decision. Her sister’s reply? “Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.”

Walken’s involvement

Of course, Natalie’s “devil” wasn’t the only one with her on the boat that night. Christopher Walken was there as well. At the time, he and Natalie were co-starring in a movie called Brainstorm, which was nearing the end of its production. And there’s been speculation about whether he heard something or had some idea how Natalie died. People tried asking him about it in 1986, five years after the tragedy.

Anger

The interviewer didn’t have a lot of luck. Walken angrily responded, “I don’t know what happened. She slipped and fell in the water. I was in bed then. It was a terrible thing. Look, we’re in a conversation I won’t have.” He also described the whole topic as a “bore.”

Only she knows

Walken was more forthcoming a decade later when talking to Playboy. “What happened that night only she knows, because she was alone. She had gone to bed before us, and her room was at the back.” He was convinced the incident was the result of a tragic “accident.”

Accident

“A dinghy was bouncing against the side of the boat, and I think she went out to move it,” the actor recalled. “There was a ski ramp that was partially in the water. It was slippery — I had walked on it myself. She had told me she couldn’t swim. In fact, they had to cut a swimming scene from Brainstorm. She was probably half asleep.”

Nothing more

Walken also said in that interview, very pointedly, “The people who are convinced that there was something more to it than what came out in the investigation will never be satisfied with the truth. Because the truth is, there is nothing more to it.” But what precisely was his relationship with Natalie at that point?

Rumors

There was certainly some talk about the pair back in 1981, when they were playing a married couple in Brainstorm. And in 2018 Town and Country published an interesting quote given by a crew member to one of Natalie’s biographers. “It wasn’t like they were lovey-dovey on the set or anything like that, but they just had a current about them and an electricity,” they said of Natalie and her co-star.

Dennis Davern

Meanwhile, the captain of the yacht has claimed that Natalie and Wagner had a massive argument the night before her body was found. Speaking on The Dr. Oz Show in 2019, Dennis Davern recalled the disarray the couple’s room had been in that evening.

The room

“It looked like a storm went through that room,” Davern claimed. “Everything was just all over the place. It was a mess. I found one of [Natalie’s] earrings. It was thrown somewhere in the corner. I don’t know if it was just ripped off her ear or what, but there was an earring, [and] the pillows were all over. The room was a mess. There was a full-on fight in that room.”

Tears

According to Davern, Walken had had no idea anything untoward had occurred until the police turned up and told him Natalie was dead. “He didn’t say a word. He just cried,” Davern claimed. “I mean, he was devastated standing there. Here is all the authorities, this is all on the back of the boat. He was full of tears.”

Yelling and crashing

So what in the world had actually happened on board the yacht? Well, when the case was reopened, new witness statements shed some light on events that night. In 2018 the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced, “A witness provided details about hearing yelling and crashing sounds coming from the couple’s stateroom.”

Argument

“Shortly afterwards, separate witnesses identified a man and a woman arguing on the back of the boat,” the statement continued. “The witnesses believed that the voices belonged to Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner.” Who these witnesses were, though, and how close they’d been to the boat wasn’t revealed to the media.

The truth

If that’s true, it fits in with Davern’s take on things. Yet it’s worth noting that he’s changed his story over the years. During the initial investigation, Davern was spoken to by the police and didn’t raise any suspicions about Wagner. But later he changed his mind — or perhaps he was finally able to tell the truth.

Goodbye

Davern himself published a book in 2014. And Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour — co-written with Marti Rulli — contained some pretty shocking claims. Rulli alleged during a 2018 appearance on Megyn Kelly Today that Wagner had kept “Davern under his wing” in an attempt to stop him relaying his suspicions to the police. Eventually, though, the boat captain had talked.

Hostage

In that same interview with Kelly, Davern claimed that he’d been “held hostage” by Wagner at one point. He said, “At the end of my work day, the driver would bring me back to the house. When I would go to bed for the night, you’d close the door, and there was sort of like a magnetic lock to where you couldn’t open the door. I couldn’t get myself out of my own room.”

Jealousy

But ever since he started talking to the media, Davern has claimed that Wagner fought with his wife that night because he was wildly jealous about her relationship with Walken. Before Natalie died, Davern alleges, there was a huge fight on the boat that resulted in a bottle of wine being shattered. Throughout the night, he has claimed, he could hear the couple arguing. Then he was told by Wagner that Natalie had disappeared.

Accusations

Lana knows all of this story, and in her mind there’s seemingly no doubt about it: Wagner was responsible for Natalie’s death. She claimed in her book that Davern communicated with her in 1992 and suggested that Wagner had been violent towards Natalie on the night of her drowning.

Imaginings

What Lana wrote in the book isn’t fact. It’s speculation, and she does make that clear. She said, “I have no trouble imagining R.J., 5 foot 11, 200 pounds, and Natalie, 5 foot 2, 120 pounds, fighting back. First in their stateroom, where Dennis heard enough yelling and banging to knock on the door and be told by R.J. to ‘go away,’ and then on the back of the boat.”

Panic

Lana added that, in her opinion, “R.J. delivered a blow to the left side of Natalie’s face that knocked her unconscious.” This would have accounted for the bruises the coroner noted on her body. She continued, “I believe that, suddenly panic-stricken when he realized what he’d done, R.J. made the fatal decision to put Natalie in the water to avoid being held responsible for what had happened.”

Dark water

Obviously, it pained Lana to write all that in the book. She asked, “What possible pleasure could I take in thinking that the last thing my sister saw in this life was the furious face of her husband, hovering above the dark water that terrified her?” But she still wanted to make her opinions clear.

Natalie’s daughter

Not everyone agrees with Lana. Natalie’s daughter Natasha Gregson Wagner was 11 years old at the time of her mom’s death, and after that she was raised largely by Wagner. She’s always been adamant that he’d never have hurt Natalie, let alone killed her and thrown her in the water.

Natalie speaks

And in the 2020 documentary Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind, Natasha actually discussed Natalie’s death with her stepdad in front of the cameras. She declared at the time, “It’s outrageous and completely unacceptable that others have created this narrative about my dad and the night my mom died.”

Wagner’s story

Natasha added, “I know that if my mom had been in any kind of distress, he would have given his life for her. I know that as well as I know my name.” And she invited Wagner to give his account of the tragic night. He acknowledged that there’d been tension between the boat passengers that evening.

Slipping

Wagner said that there had indeed been a disagreement between Walken and himself, but he added that it was soon settled and that he considered Walken to be a “stand-up guy.” After Natalie had gone to bed, Walken had begun chatting about Natalie and “how wonderful she was, and what a great actress she was, and how he enjoyed working with her.”

Unjustifiable

But when Walken mentioned Natalie’s work-life balance and how he believed it was vital for her to continue working after having children, Wagner became furious and smashed a wine bottle. “I was really angry about it,” Wagner admitted. “When I look back at it, unjustifiably so.”

Fatal accident

Wagner said that he’d then calmed down. Walken had gone to his own room, and Wagner and Davern had cleaned up the mess. What Wagner believed happened next was that Natalie had gone out on the deck to secure the boat’s dinghy but then simply slipped and injured herself, and this had resulted in her death.

The dinghy

According to Wagner, Natalie had been constantly irritated by the noise the dinghy made as it bumped into the yacht. “I remember it used to drive her crazy,” he stated. “She would always say, ‘R.J., can you move the dingy?’ because the way the water hit up against the boat, it would bang, and she was so sensitive to noise.”

Courtney

Lana’s suspicions were brought up in the documentary by another daughter of Natalie’s, Courtney Wagner. She told the cameras, “I don’t even think Lana believes what she’s saying. When I just think of my dad having to deal with any of this stuff... It’s just so hard to imagine when he experienced, like, a true nightmare.”

Person of interest

But while it’s clear where other members of the family stand, Wagner was still identified as a person of interest in 2018 when the case was reopened. The police were very careful to point out at the time that he wasn’t a suspect, yet Lana considered this a small step forward in her quest to discover what had happened.

Progress

Lana said in her book, “I kept waiting to feel excitement, or surprise, or relief. It didn’t happen... ‘Person of interest’ was progress, but ‘not a suspect’ meant there was still a long way to go before, maybe, [Wagner] would be properly interrogated.”

Bad fortune

One of the saddest and spookiest things about Natalie’s death is that it’d apparently been predicted during her childhood. In her youth, Natalie had been taken by her mom to a fortune-teller who had apparently said the girl “would be a great beauty, known throughout the world.” Supposedly, she had also added that Natalie should “beware of dark water.” And tragically, she didn’t.

Another tragedy

Unfortunately, Natalie's tragic passing is far from the only high-profile celebrity death with a mystery woven into its core. Years after Brittany Murphy and her husband passed away, the cause of their deaths remains a baffling puzzle. And the circumstances surrounding these tragedies still cast a shadow over their legacies to this day.

A sudden turn

Early in the morning of December 20, 2009, Brittany Murphy tells mom Sharon that she’s not feeling too hot. Then, just half an hour later, the 32-year-old actress collapses, and her husband, Simon Monjack, tries desperately to bring her back to consciousness. Sharon also dials 911 and begs for assistance from the emergency services — hoping against hope that they can save her daughter. But, ultimately, nothing helps, and tragically Murphy passes away in a Los Angeles hospital later that day.

The rumor mill

Following Murphy’s untimely passing, though, wild rumors began to swirl about what exactly happened to cause her death. Even now, the events that led to the end of Murphy’s life aren’t completely clear. And when another heartbreaking loss hit the Murphy family mere months later, the plot only thickened.

Not once, but twice

In fact, the mystery surrounding Murphy’s death arguably increased after her husband passed away in May 2010. Yes, Monjack died not long after his late wife — and in very strange circumstances. Perhaps most inexplicably of all, the screenwriter had apparently succumbed to some of the same ailments that had afflicted Murphy herself.

A shining star

But well before Hollywood mourned the loss of one of its brightest young talents, Murphy had been an aspiring actress. The future star had been brought up by Sharon in New Jersey after her parents had split, and when she set her heart on Hollywood, her mom was seemingly happy to pack up her life in pursuit of that dream. Murphy later credited Sharon’s faith in her daughter as being a big part of her subsequent achievements.

“A pillar of strength”

Murphy paid her mom back for her devotion, too, by sharing a home with Sharon in Los Angeles, California after she had made it big. And the star was full of compliments for her parent, describing Sharon as both “the greatest in the whole wide world” and “a pillar of strength.”

Brittany's big break

Thanks in part to that support, then, Murphy shot to fame with her first big role in cult favorite Clueless. And her career only went from strength to strength from there after parts in Girl, Interrupted and Drop Dead Gorgeous — both of which proved the actress had range as well as comedy chops. Appearances in Don’t Say a Word, 8 Mile, and Just Married also followed.

Vocal work

Naturally, then, the rising star earned her fair share of attention in Hollywood. None other than Roger Ebert was among her cheerleaders, with the veteran critic once remarking that Murphy’s comical turn at an awards show had left him “dumbfounded by her brilliance.” But the actress didn’t restrict herself to movies. In 2006, you see, she also lent her vocals to a hit collaboration with dance music DJ Paul Oakenfold.

A choice of suitors

And fame also brought Murphy the attention of some of Hollywood’s most sought-after men, including her fellow Just Married actor Ashton Kutcher. The star even got engaged on two occasions — firstly to talent guru Jeff Kwatinetz and after that to Joe Macaluso, who’d worked on her film Little Black Book. But gossip about Murphy did not focus solely on her love life.

Things were changing

Worryingly, in the 2000s, Murphy shed a lot of weight — and there was plenty of talk about why. During a press event for the movie Sin City, the actress even had to deny that she was suffering from an eating disorder. Murphy explained, “I’m the same size I was in Clueless; it’s just that the weight in your face changes as you grow and get older.” She added, “This is my body, I’m proud of it, I’m healthy.”

Denial

Murphy strongly rebutted the claims that she had a drug habit, too. When in 2005 a Jane magazine interviewer asked the star about cocaine, she replied, “No, just for the record, I have never tried it in my entire life. I’ve never even seen it, and I don’t leave the house too much except to go to work.”

First meet

On one occasion in 2006, however, Murphy did go out to a party — and it was there that she bumped into Monjack. Then, after that fateful meeting, the two embarked on a romance that ultimately led to the altar. This time around, Murphy did not bother to announce to the world that she had gotten engaged; instead, she simply married Monjack in her own home in April 2007. But just who was this mysterious character who had suddenly appeared on the scene?

Shady past

Well, reports had it that Monjack had been in some trouble with the law. Allegedly, he faced a couple of arrest warrants for fraud and stealing a credit card — although ultimately proceedings went no further. A U.K. investment company also reportedly pursued Monjack for more than $500,000, as did lawyers to whom he supposedly owed $6,000. On top of all that, the screenwriter had previously done time in jail for overstaying a visa.

No visa

Further rumors chased Monjack, too. Had his lack of a current visa led to the quick wedding, for instance? And did he already have children? Well, Monjack refused to comment on any of those matters. In any case, it seemed that the love affair was real enough, as apparently he and Murphy were utterly smitten with each other.

Tragedy strikes

Then, less than three years into the marriage, tragedy struck. Early on December 20, 2009, Murphy had stepped out onto her balcony for some fresh air. Disturbingly, she seemed to be having trouble breathing, and Monjack therefore called for Sharon to come and help. During a later appearance on Larry King Live, Murphy’s husband claimed that Murphy had also told her mom she was dying.

Nothing could be done

Murphy was still with Sharon, in fact, at about 7:30 a.m., when the actress said yet again that she wasn’t feeling well. Then the star collapsed, and while Monjack made an effort to bring her round with a cold shower, Sharon called an ambulance. But although Murphy was subsequently taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, nothing could be done for her. Heartbreakingly, she died just after 10:00 a.m.

Prescription meds

And while Murphy’s cause of death wasn’t immediately apparent, it soon became clear how many prescription medicines were lying around her home. Los Angeles County assistant chief coroner Ed Winter would go on to note that an investigative team took out nearly 90 bottles — all in names that Monjack had used — although Monjack himself would claim that these were just previously prescribed drugs.

More to the story

In any case, when the autopsy results had come in, it was revealed that Murphy had not been taking any illicit substances. And back in 2009, Winter told People magazine what he believed had killed the actress. He explained, “[Murphy] was really sick with pneumonia, very anemic, and she was taking medication — and all that combined killed her.” That wasn’t all that the assistant coroner had to say, though.

A different outcome

You see, Winter also believed that Murphy’s life could have been saved if she hadn’t relied on self-medication. He added to People, “This death could’ve been preventable. Murphy was planning on seeing a doctor, but she unfortunately passed away before she did. This was a case of a person with pneumonia who was anemic and was taking medication when she should’ve been getting medical treatment.”

“I had no idea”

Monjack insisted, however, that he hadn’t stopped Murphy from getting medical help and added that he’d just thought she’d been fighting the flu. He told People, “I had no idea she had pneumonia. I took very good care of my wife.”

Acting strange

Naturally, Murphy’s devastated family also released a statement that expressed their feelings about her passing. The message read, “The sudden loss of our beloved Brittany is a terrible tragedy. She was our daughter, our wife, our love, and a shining star. We ask you to respect our privacy at this time.” Monjack made headlines, too, for the way in which he comported himself after his wife’s death.

Excuses?

For starters, the screenwriter actually tried to stop an autopsy being carried out on Murphy. Claiming that the idea of her body getting cut up was too much to cope with, Monjack pestered the coroner. Then, when news of this got out, rumors about his possible role in Murphy’s death spread across the internet like wildfire. And while Monjack ultimately refuted any such suggestions, others weren’t convinced.

Mounting suspicions

Among those suspicious of Monjack’s motives was George Hickenlooper, who had worked with Murphy’s widower on the movie Factory Girl. Hickenlooper blasted Monjack for being both a “con man and a bad guy” and blogged after Murphy’s passing, “I only hope that this creep wasn’t instrumental in her sad demise.”

Just one more day

To others, though, it appeared that Monjack had genuinely been left distraught by Murphy’s death. That at least was the impression given during a subsequent interview with People, when the screenwriter lamented, “I had a life I never dreamed. I have seen the sun set on five continents. I’d trade it all for one more day with Brittany. I lost my life. She was my best friend, and she was a little girl who wanted her husband right there. What do I have left?” Nor was he alone in paying tribute to the Sin City actress.

Paying tribute

Former boyfriend Kutcher also honored Murphy by tweeting, “[Today] the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out [to] Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon. See you on the other side kid.” One of the co-stars of her breakthrough film got involved, too.

The coroner’s ruling

Then, in February 2010, the coroner ruled that Murphy had died by accident. As originally believed, the causes of her demise had been pneumonia, anemia and intoxication by several drugs, with the anemia alone likely to have led to a “weakened state of health” that would have made Murphy prone to infection.

A cocktail of medication

The coroner’s report also suggested that the medications Murphy had taken — which included Vicodin, chlorpheniramine, and L-methamphetamine — may have had “adverse physiological effects” on the actress given her frail state. By themselves, these findings didn’t necessarily point to anything untoward; chlorpheniramine is in several medications that can be bought without prescriptions, for example, while L-methamphetamine can be used to treat the effects of pneumonia. Yet even if the autopsy didn’t end up making waves, the same can’t be said of Murphy’s will.

The will

You see, the star bequeathed everything that she’d owned to her mother — with nothing in store for Monjack. The document in question even stated, “I am married to Simon Monjack who I have intentionally left out of this will.” Monjack claimed that he didn’t have a problem, however, and that he had asked Murphy to exclude him anyway.

The plot thickens

Still, there was speculation that Monjack had gotten his hands on the money regardless. And Murphy’s business manager Jeffrey Morgenroth only added fuel to that particular fire when he alleged that Monjack had emptied most of the actress’ accounts before his own death. In addition, it was claimed that, following the star’s passing, her mother had been sharing Monjack’s bed.

Bizarre behavior

And while Monjack and Sharon worked together to create a foundation in Murphy’s name, the screenwriter’s behavior again caused questions to be asked. For one, it appeared that he had attempted to charge admission for a fundraiser. Then it became clear that he had not submitted the right papers needed for the foundation to operate as a nonprofit.

Following his wife

Before Monjack had managed to make the foundation a going concern, however, tragedy struck. On May 23, 2010, the widower passed away at the age of 40 — despite his publicist’s assertions that he had seemed to be in good health. And while Monjack had been previously experiencing a heart issue, his autopsy brought astonishing results.

The same fate

To begin with, you see, it was claimed that Monjack had also died of pneumonia and anemia — just like Murphy. In fact, it appeared that his heart problem hadn’t actually played a part in his death, nor had the levels of prescription medication in his blood. In the final report, though, the coroner clarified that Monjack had passed away solely from bronchopneumonia.

Toxic mold

Yet that still wasn’t the end of the speculation that surrounded Murphy and Monjack. Talk emerged, for example, of toxic mold being present in the couple’s home. Winter even claimed that he’d discussed mold as a possibility with Sharon, although she denied that conversation had ever happened. It also turned out that the house had undergone an inspection prior to Murphy and Monjack’s deaths.

Inspecting the house

Then in December 2011 events took a bizarre turn. That month, Sharon embarked on legal action against her original lawyers, claiming that she’d been advised to settle with the home’s builders instead of pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit. The mom had been following up on alleged construction defects in the house — including a supposed mold infestation. But as the findings of an environmental review of the home never saw the light of day, no one could be sure whether the deaths had anything to do with damp at the property.

Heading to court

Then, the following month, Angelo Bertolotti, Murphy’s father, took the coroner’s department to court, as he wanted the star’s remains to be tested for heavy metals or other potential poisons. And while Bertolotti ultimately lost the action, he did still order an independent test on some of Murphy’s hair. The results of this investigation were duly returned in 2013, and they may have raised eyebrows, too. You see, it was found that the hair contained trace amounts of heavy metals, including barium — which is sometimes a component of rat poison.

Who was to blame?

Furthermore, the associated report from the test said, “If we were to eliminate the possibility of a simultaneous accidental heavy metals exposure to the sample donor, then the only logical explanation would be an exposure to these metals (toxins) administered by a third-party perpetrator with likely criminal intent.” This was enough to convince Bertolotti that his daughter had been murdered.

Inconclusive

But when CNN asked American Board of Forensic Toxicology president Dr. Bruce Goldberger what he thought about the matter, he was scathing. Indeed, Goldberger dismissed the report entirely and labeled the accusation of murder “baseless.” According to the forensic scientist, making such a determination from the amount of hair provided was impossible, while the test results themselves may have arisen as a result of hair dye — which Murphy had often used.

Down to the dye

The coroner’s office didn’t find the report persuasive, either — at least, not enough to further look into the case. Winter explained to Extra, “The only thing they found [in the test] was heavy metals present, but I guess either our folks or a doctor explained to them [that] it was due to Brittany coloring her hair… It was determined it was from color.”

An avenue worth checking

Nevertheless, forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht urged caution when it came to dismissing the test completely. He said to E!, “I would have checked to see if the private lab results were valid — and, if they could be corroborated and analyzed, whether there was exposure and where... the exposure [came] from.” In Wecht’s view, Murphy and Monjack’s relatively close deaths made this avenue worth checking out.

No proof

And Bertolotti had no doubts about what had gone on; in his opinion, his ex-wife, Sharon, had murdered the couple. Yet Murphy’s dad proved unable to convince the county to dig Murphy back up so that she could undergo more tests, and he went to the grave himself with his suspicions in 2019. So, no official evidence seems to support any wrongdoing in Murphy and Monjack’s deaths — and here’s hoping that remains the case.