Natalie Wood was a child star who grew into a stunning and even more successful adult actress. With roles in movies like Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, and West Side Story, she was a force to be reckoned with. But her promising career vanished on Nov. 28, 1981, when she mysteriously drowned during a weekend boat trip to Catalina Island. Natalie was sailing on a yacht with her husband, Robert Wagner; her then-costar in Brainstorm, Christopher Walken; and the boat's captain, Dennis Davern. Her body was discovered by police the following day floating one mile away from the boat. An autopsy later revealed that she had bruises on her body and arms, as well as a cut on her left cheek. At the time, the star's death was ruled an accident after Robert told police that Natalie wasn't with him when he went to bed. Because she had been drinking and two types of medication were found in her system, authorities believed she may have slipped and fallen into the water.
In November 2011, the case was reopened after Dennis admitted to lying to police during the initial investigation. He revealed that Natalie and Robert had a fight the night of her death and placed the blame on him. After a nine-month investigation, LA's chief medical examiner changed Natalie's cause of death from accidental drowning to "drowning and other undetermined factors." Robert maintains that he had nothing to do with his wife's death, and Christopher has rarely spoken about what happened on board the yacht that night.
