Natalie Wood's fatal voyage

48 Hours Presents Vanity Fair: Hollywood Scandal 

The mysterious death of Natalie Wood has intrigued Hollywood for years. Now, with new information, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has re-opened the investigation.

The latest details reveal a stunning new story about the night that led to Wood's body floating in the Pacific Ocean.

"This is the Splendour, needs help."

Sam Kashner, Vanity Fair: "With those words, 51-year-old actor Robert Wagner and Dennis Davern, the captain of the Splendour, sounded the alarm."

"It was a difficult assignment...the sea captain of the Splendour wants to tell his story of the night Natalie Wood died...and one completely different than what he told the police."

Dennis Davern: "I just didn't want my whole life to go by without having the truth come out."

Dennis Davern admits he lied to the police in 1981 about the night Natalie Wood died. But he swears he's telling the truth now -- and it's a far more sinister truth.

Dennis Davern: "The fighting, the arguing was so intense and then all of a sudden there was nothing. It was complete silence... and she was gone."

Video: Davern on alleged argument on the Splendour
48 Hours" Mystery Presents Vanity Fair: Hollywood Scandal

On Friday, Nov. 18, Davern's account helped spark an explosive development.

Lt. John Carino, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau [press conference]: "This new information is substantial enough for us to want to take another look at the case."

After 30 years of rumors and speculation, the case has been reopened amidst a stunning allegation.

Marti Rulli, Author: My name is Marti Rulli. I'm a long-time friend of Dennis Davern and for close to 30 years I've investigated Natalie Wood's death.

"I believe Natalie Wood was left to die."

Video: More from Marti Rulli

Sam Kashner" "It was Thanksgiving weekend in 1981.A call goes out from the Splendour, a boat owned by Robert Wagner, saying that someone is missing from their boat.... Six hours later, the body of his wife, Natalie Wood, was found floating in the Pacific Ocean off of Catalina Island, drowned..."

Mart Crowley, Playwright and close friend: "It was a Sunday morning. When I picked up the phone it was RJ and he just screamed into the phone. 'She's gone.'"

1981 press conference: The coroner's autopsy indicated Ms. Wood had died by accident. ...She attempted to board this rubber dinghy. It was here that she fell and drowned.

Dennis Davern: "That story is 100-percent false. Natalie would never, in a million years, take that dinghy out by herself... She was...deathly afraid of the water."

Sam Kashner: "Dennis Davern was a member of their family...He was both a bodyguard and a confidant of Natalie's."

Davern's been accused of exploiting that relationship. He tried to sell his story - and collaborated with Marti Rulli on a tell-all book - but, he says, it's a matter of conscience.

Dennis Davern: "What I really wanted was to give Natalie a voice."

Sam Kashner: Natalie was one of the biggest film stars imaginable. She was America's sweetheart. America had grown up with her. She was the little doubting girl in 'Miracle on 34th Street' and then she was running with the sort of troubled pack in 'Rebel Without a Cause.' ...She was in 'West Side Story,' 'Splendor in the Grass' and 'Gypsy.'

"Robert Wagner was a beautiful young cat... kind of old Hollywood and he really found his metier on television in 'Hart to Hart.'"

Sam Kashner: "The Wagner-Wood love story was one of the great Hollywood love stories.

Mart Crowley: They were extremely devoted to each other.

FRIDAY MORNING, NOV. 27, 1981: CATALINA ISLAND

Dennis Davern: "We departed Marina Del Rey. It was Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Christopher Walken and myself onboard."

Sam Kashner: "As soon as Chris Walken walked up the gang plank to the Splendour in his pea coat with the collar turned up, Robert Wagner took an instant dislike to him...Chris was fresh off winning the Academy Award for the 'Deer Hunter.'"

Dennis Davern: "You could see a little bit of jealousy from Robert Wagner...And it just kept getting more tense."

Sam Kashner: "There was just volcanic amount of alcohol consumed...the weekend goes from bad to worse."

SATURDAY, NOV. 28

Dennis Davern: "Christopher and Natalie went ashore to the restaurant and had a few drinks. RJ and myself we went in later. When RJ...saw Natalie and Christopher sitting at the bar laughing and having a wonderful time, he started to...really really heat up.

"We go back to the boat...Natalie and Christopher continue to giggle just having fun. ...And then Robert Wagner, out of the clear blue, picked up the bottle of wine and smashed it right on the coffee table. ...RJ said to Christopher, 'What are you, what are you trying to do? F my wife?'

"Natalie went down below... Christopher went into his stateroom. Then RJ went into...Natalie and RJ's room and started arguing, yelling...things being thrown about.And then the fighting went back to the back of the boat and ... then it was quiet.

"When I had gone down below...Natalie wasn't there...and he says, 'You must search the boat and see where Natalie is.'

"She wasn't anywhere... the dinghy was gone. I said to Robert Wagner, 'Maybe I should turn on the searchlight.' He said, 'Don't do that.'"

Marti Rulli: "It took two-and-a half hours for RJ to call the island and say that someone is missing from our boat...it took over four hours to call the Coast Guard..."

On a nearby yacht, Marilyn Wayne claims she heard cries for help.

Marilyn Wayne: "I heard a woman calling for help...'Help me somebody, please help me. I'm drowning.' We called harbor patrol several times. No one ever answered. ... At 11:25, call for help ceased. That was the beginning of the nightmare."

SUNDAY MORNING

Sam Kashner: "They found her floating in the water...wearing a red down jacket, socks and a flannel nightgown... In a way almost as if she was standing up in the water."

Roger Smith, the paramedic who took Natalie Wood's body to shore, claims that her fingers were still pliable and rigor mortis had not yet set in.

Roger Smith: "I think she was at least alive for three of the hours, hanging on that skiff. ...With our equipment and everything...and our expertise we would've found her. And she would still be alive today."

"I'm still having a problem with it 30 years later."

Video: hear more from Roger Smith

Duane Rasure was a detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office Homicide Bureau and was assigned to the Natalie Wood case. The detective says Wagner and Davern told nearly identical stories back then.

Duane Rasure: "Natalie went to go to bed...Robert Wagner...he went to check and they found her missing."

Natalie Wood detective breaks silence to 48 Hours

But Davern now says he stuck to that story because Wagner demanded he "say nothing if questioned."

Dennis Davern: "Robert Wagner was very serious about having the stories being the same to eliminate any investigation."

Davern says Wagner was concerned about his image and didn't want it known there'd been trouble aboard the Splendour.

Duane Rasure: I saw the shattered glass in disarray and I questioned Robert Wagner about that and says it ...happened sometime during their travels... just due to rough seas."

But Wagner's story changed in his 2008 memoir. The shattered wine bottle was no longer the result of rough seas, but an argument between Wagner and Walken over Natalie's career. He even describes it in his audio book:

At one point, I picked up a wine bottle, slammed it on the table and broke it into pieces. Natalie was below decks at that point.

Duane Rasure: "Now that I've heard that...he's changed his story, I'm a little uncomfortable with it because at the time I believed him. I'm not gonna change my mind about what happened. ...His story still shows that she just accidentally drowned."

Just the fact that Natalie Wood was found in her nightgown, says Rasure, backs up Wagner's version of the story. Wagner talked with "CBS Sunday Morning" in 2008 about the last time he saw his wife.

Robert Wagner: "I looked below. I saw Natalie was doing something with her hair. She was gonna go to bed. And she shut the door. And Chris and I were still talking," Wagner said. "And when I went down below, she wasn't there. The dinghy was gone...and I looked around for her, and I couldn't - I didn't know where she was..."

Walken has also said Natalie went to her stateroom while he and Wagner talked. The two men declined to be interviewed by Vanity Fair or "48 Hours," but both have said the most logical explanation is that Natalie got up to secure the dinghy, which was banging against the boat.

Sam Kashner: "There are great holes in that story, why wasn't someone called earlier? Why did someone hear screaming in the water if, in fact, she's unconscious."

Dennis Davern: "I believe that Robert Wagner was with her up until the moment she went into the water."

Duane Rasure: "That's like saying ... Robert Wagner pushed her overboard. ... That's a murder investigation. But I don't believe him."

Mart Crowley: "To infer that he stood by...and didn't dive in and save her is just absurd to anyone that knows anything about their relationship."

Video: Mart Crowley on the couple's relationship

Robert Wagner [CBS Sunday Morning 2008]: "We were so in love and we had everything ... and in a second, in a second it was gone... I wasn't there. I wasn't there for her and that's always within me."

Lt. John Carino, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Bureau [Press conference]: "Is Robert Wagner a suspect? No. I have no reason to believe it's not an accidental drowning, but we're going to look into that and make sure there's nothing new that might make us change our mind."

L.A. police: Wagner not suspect in Wood death

In a written statement, the Wagner family said they support the investigation and trust the new information will be judged on the credibility of the sources, not from anyone "trying to profit" from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death.

After years of shifting stories and the dimming of memory, the sea may finally release some of its secrets about the night Natalie Wood died.

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[Tennessee3501]

There is no need for any investigation! The case is solved! Nancy Grace claims that she has evidence that will prove beyond any doubt that Natalie Wood was murdered by Casey Anthony! When it was called to Nancy's attention that Casey Anthony was born almost five years after Natalie's tragic death, Nancy claimed that it was "one of the flimsiest alibis I have ever heard!" She further claimed that nobody should be fooled "by a cheap defense attorney trick!" She further demanded that Casey Anthony, like President Obama " produce her birth certificate!

[rbmcbs11743]

I've been following the story of Natalie's drowning since it appeared about last week. So far I have read 5 stories.

All five stories have one thing in common: Natalie drowned.

I don't know if the story tellers have anything more left to tell, but I'll continue to read more stories anyway, regardless if they are more of the same.

[Jesus_Loves_Children]

Second autopsy necessary to determine if NW was murdered!

What kind of injuries would Natalie wood sustain if she had struggled before being thrown overboard by Wagner in a drunken fit of rage?

These:

Wood's body had "numerous bruises to legs and arms." Coroner's officials, report from Pamela K Baker, investigator, 11-29-81.

[SierraAZ]

I remember Jill St. John was immediately & always at Robert Wagner's side right after Natalie died, at news conferences, etc., consoling him. Natalie drowned Nov. 29, 1981, & Wikipedia shows Robert & Jill were a couple from early 1982 on, marrying in 1990. I wonder if they were already a couple secretly before Natalie's death. Maybe his guilty conscience was part of the reason he was so jealous of her. Too bad Natalie's death was not properly investigated at the time.

[rebeccafla]

I remember hearing the news about this in 1981 and I thought there was foul play involved. When I heard this cased had re-opened, there is a crying out in my soul that believes that Robert Wagner did something to her for her to drown. I don't normally get these strong feelings like this and I think that she tried to stay afloat from him pushing her overboard for as long as she could. All of those bruises on her body were from him abusing her in a jealous rage that was heightened with alcohol use. I believe the captain is telling the truth and wants the truth to be set free about NW so that he can try and forgive himself for not reporting what he should have. Robert Wagner has always seemed like a sarcastic, angry and jealous soul and at least he can live the last years of his life knowing that some of us do know the truth about what happened. Natalie Wood was much more gifted and talented than he could ever be and he's a thug.

[homeandheart]

a crying out in your soul?? I think you've watched too many soap operas tabloid tv shows to have any credibilty her. Abusing her in a jealous rage? Wow. It's so hard to believe that anyone could think Davern is credible and wanting forgiveness. Please. He wants money and attention. To say that Robert Wagner seems like a sacrastic,angry and jealous soul makes you sound ridiculous. What's really dark here is that people are so sure Robert Wagner did something to his wife and that you all "know" the truth. I don't even know why I'm responding to you, it's so ridiculous.

[homeandheart]

this is all so ridiculous and disgusting. Robert Wagner did not kill, push or leave his wife to die. It makes no sense whatsoever. Sam Kashner, who writes for Vanity Fair, is an intrusive, creepy little man who clearly has a warped opinion of himself. I watched 48 hours BRIEFLY last nite and Kashner made me feel sick to his stomach. He comes across as wormy, with a false sense of who he is, desperately searching to make himself look important. Vanity Fair has sunk to all time new low contributing to an already disgusting tabloid society. Why is everyone so hell bent on making Robert Wagner guilty? It's wrong on so many levels. If you are relishing in thinking he is guilty so you can feel you "know" something, then you are just as wrong as that sleazy Kashner. Another tabloid parasite. Davern is looking for his 15 minutes, and a little or a lot of money, not looking to tell the "truth." And Marti Rulli, who cares what she thinks - is this all the "talent" she has, is this all she can contribute with her writing. I don't believe for one minute Natalie was left to die or that Robert Wagner covered up anything. I do,however, have serious doubts about Kashner, Davern and Rulli - all three seem to have some sleazy ulterior motive. I'm sorry Natalie Wood's husband and children have to deal with these types of people who would do anything for notoriety and money. And that includes Vanity Fair Magazine. I wouldn't buy the trashy "special edition" if it sold for a nickel. I only needed 10 minutes of 48 hours mystery to see the sleazy voltures involved in this story.

[kbbpll]

So, Dennis Davern is basically saying he's an accessory to murder. Be careful what you wish for there, Dennis.

[realtimecoffee]

I see the media vultures cashing in. Can we get a statement from one of the Kardashians?

[Lovingcare]

CBS should be wise to discard this BS. Sorry for the death of Natalie but this isn't news any more but just gossip.

[Jerry_Pritikin]

I have a friend who was a LIFE/Times Photographer and in a freelance a SUNDAY Magazine story for the Chicago Tribune in the mid-1950s photographed Natalie Woods and Tab Hunter on a boat in Chicago with popular Chicago D.J. Howard Miller. She is not wearing a life jacket and showed no sign of being scared of the water. Where did the story about Miss Woods fears originate. And if she had that fear, why would she have spent any time on her husbands boat?

[lump516]

Actually, the story began in the late 1940's, when Ms. Wood was still a child and almost drowned while making one of her early films. As she said in an interview (aboard the yacht from which she eventually fell) she liked being near or around the water, but not in it. I suspect the drinking that everyone eventually admitted had been going on that night affected her judgement.