'Foul Play': Cops Confirm—For First Time—Bruised Natalie Wood Was A 'Victim Of Assault' Before Mysterious Death

The fascinating 12-part podcast series will launch on July 20 – the day that the doomed star would have celebrated her 80th birthday.

In a blistering new disclosure in episode one, Ralph Hernandez, a homicide detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, reveals bruises found on Natalie were consistent with her being the "victim of assault" — not, as the original 1981 report concluded, caused by her struggling to climb back aboard to yacht after falling over the side.

"The bottom line is, we have someone who died under very suspicious circumstances, and It's just as important of a case as a murder, but our job is to get to the truth and to hopefully come up with enough evidence to prove that truth," revealed Hernandez.

"The fact is that we have a lot of information as to the events of what occurred that evening. We have a lot of evidence that tends to point to a very suspicious death and would certainly indicate the possibility of foul play."

What's more, for the first time ever, the beloved actress will speak from beyond the grave in never-before-heard interviews and excerpts from her unpublished memoir — and dozens of her friends and family members will open up in candid new interviews.

Hosted by Dylan Howard, a renowned investigative journalist, the series will explore Natalie’s final hours in intimate detail — tracking her fateful, booze-soaked night on her yacht, Splendor, with husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken.

“Did Natalie jump? Did she slip? Was she unconscious before going overboard? Or was she pushed? And if so – by whom? And why?,” Howard told publication.

“It’s a hell of a story. Forbidden affairs. Twisted lies. And murder.”

Howard and his team have spent the last seven years investigating Natalie’s fateful final hours – and their immediate aftermath – and after sifting through hundreds of pages of testimony and official police statements about Natalie’s last night, and the discovery of her lifeless body off the coast of California’s Catalina Island.

In February 2018, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department held a press conference to announce they were asking witnesses in the case to come forward.

Using modern forensics, the podcast will take another look at Natalie’s original autopsy, analyzing the many bruises on her body, the drugs in her system and her blood alcohol content.

It will examine plausible theories about what really happened during Natalie’s final hours — and address whether Natalie’s husband, Robert Wagner, is considered a “person of interest” in the case.

“This is not a retelling of Natalie’s sad story: it is an active investigation of the case,” Howard added.

“It will be the most comprehensive investigation since Natalie’s death. And in the end, the listener can decide what happened to the ultimate screen siren… and just who was responsible for her death.

Another theory will explore what role Walken, Natalie’s co-star in the film Brainstorm, played in her final act. In the end, one nagging question remains: Did someone get away with murder?