BREAKING NEWS
OK LogoNEWS

Natalie Wood's Death Case Reopened After Boat Captain Claims Robert Wagner Was Responsible

Robert wagner natalie wood nov18nea.jpg

Nov. 18 2011, Published 1:59 p.m. ET

Link to FacebookShare to XShare to Email

Natalie Wood's death is back under investigation, 30 years later. The former captain of the yacht Natalie was aboard before she drowned is coming forward with a new claim that her husband, Robert Wagner, was responsible for her death.

Dennis Davern appeared on the Today show this morning to explain why he wants investigators to take another look at Natalie's death, which was ruled an accident. 

In 1981, Natalie drowned near Santa Catalina Island while boating with Robert and Christopher Walken.

Article continues below advertisement

When asked if Davern thinks Robert was "responsible" for his wife's death, he told Today, "Yes, I would say so. Yes."

"We didn't take any steps to see if we could locate her," Davern said. "I think it was a matter of, 'We're not going to look too hard, we're not going to turn on the searchlight, we're not going to notify anybody right now.'"

Through his publicist, Robert issued a statement on the new claims, saying, "Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death."

Why is Davern coming forward 30 years later?

"Why now, is because I've been trying to tell information about this for many, many years, but there wasn't really anyone listening until now," Davern explained. "I've been trying to get somebody to listen for a long time, and now somebody is listening, and they're going to carry on with this investigation. I'm not saying anything different. All the information that I've revealed in the past, it's all in that book Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour, which he co-wrote last year, and now it's just up to the investigators to do an investigation."eath is back under investigation thirty years later. The former caption of the boat from which Natalie drowned is coming forward with a new claim that her husband, Robert Wagner, was responsible.

Article continues below advertisement

Dennis Davern appeared on the Today show this morning to explain why he wants investigators to take another look at Natalie's "accidental" death. 

In 1981, Natalie drowned near Santa Catalina Island while boating with Robert and Christopher Walken.

When asked if Davern thinks Robert was "responsible" for his wife's death he told Today, "Yes, I would say so. Yes."

"We didn't take any steps to see if we could locate her," he said. "I think it was a matter of, 'We're not going to look too hard, we're not going to turn on the searchlight, we're not going to notify anybody right now.' "

MORE ON:
christopher walken
Article continues below advertisement

Through his publicist, Robert issued a statement on the new claims saying, "Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the L.A. County Sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of his the L.A. County sheriff's department and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death."

Article continues below advertisement

Why is Davern coming forward 30 years later?

"Why now is because I've been trying to tell information about this for many, many years, but there wasn't really anyone listening until now," Davern explained. "I've been trying to get somebody to listen for a long time and now somebody is listening and they're going to carry on with this investigation. I'm not saying anything different. All the information that I've revealed in the past, it's all in that book, and now it's just up to the investigators to do an investigation."

Watch a clip of his interview, below!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Advertisement

Want OK! each day? Sign up here!

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 OK!™️. A DIVISION OF EMPIRE MEDIA GROUP INC. OK! is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.