A new witness in the Natalie Wood case has come forward to say she heard the star drowning in the water the night she died. Natalie Wood died mysteriously in 1981 after she supposedly fell into the water while boating with husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken.
Natalie Wood, who was married to actor Robert Wagner at the time of her death, starred in such films as Miracle on 34th Street, Rebel Without a Cause, West Side Story and Gypsy. She was nominated for Academy Awards for her performances in Splendor in the Grass and Love with the Proper Stranger.
Wood died during production of her last movie, Brainstorm, co-starring Christopher Walken. Wood and Wagner were out on their yacht Splendour near Catalina Island in Southern California with Walken when the actress allegedly fell into the water and drowned. Her death was ruled an accident but the case has now been re-opened due to new witness statements.
One new witness that has come forward is former stockbroker Marilyn Wayne, who was sailing near Wood and Wagner’s boat the night the star died. According to Wayne, she heard a woman crying out for rescue in the darkness saying: “Help me, someone please help me, I’m drowning.”
“A woman’s voice, crying for help from drowning awakened John [Wayne’s boyfriend], and he awakened me,†Wayne said in a sworn statement to Natalie Wood case investigators. “Alarmed, I called out to my son, who also heard the cries, and looked at his new digital watch: it was just minutes after 11:00 P.M.â€
“While listening to the cries, we called the harbor patrol but no one answered,†Wayne said in her statement. “Then we called the sheriff’s office in Avalon, 12 miles away, and whoever answered told us a helicopter would be sent, but it did not come. We heard loud music coming from somewhere, so thought there was a party on a nearby boat. Then I heard a man’s voice, slurred, and in aggravated tone, say something to the effect of, “Oh, hold on, we’re coming to get you,†and not long after, the cries for help subsided, but we heard the cries for up to 15 minutes. We returned to bed, terribly disturbed.â€
Natalie Wood’s body was found the next morning floating in water about a mile away from the couple’s yacht. The actress had injuries to her face and arms and dozens of bruises, according to her autopsy report.