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Natalie Wood Death Under Question: Was She Beaten?

Natalie Wood, the infamous and beautiful movie star who died under tragic and mysterious circumstances in 1981, may have been beaten before she died, a new report claims. Wood allegedly fell overboard...
Natalie Wood Death Under Question: Was She Beaten?
Written by Amanda Crum
  • Natalie Wood, the infamous and beautiful movie star who died under tragic and mysterious circumstances in 1981, may have been beaten before she died, a new report claims.

    Wood allegedly fell overboard from her yacht over Thanksgiving weekend and drowned; her body was found washed up in an area near Catalina Island, near L.A. Police initially ruled her death an accident, but a new autopsy report shows that bruises on her wrists, ankles, and knees are inconsistent with falling. Now, speculation of foul play is running rampant.

    The actress–who was on the yacht with her husband, Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken–reportedly had an argument with Wagner late on the night she died after he had a disagreement with Walken. All three had been drinking, but Wagner contends he went to bed early and never saw his wife again. But the captain of the yacht, Dennis Devern, has recently made claims that he overheard the heated argument and saw Wagner shove Wood until she fell overboard. Because she couldn’t swim, she thrashed in the water and called for help repeatedly, but Devern says Wagner never made a move to help her. Devern makes the claims in recordings made for Lana Wood–Natalie’s sister–when she was doing research for a book.

    “He said it appeared to him as though (Wagner) shoved her away and she went overboard. Dennis panicked and (Wagner) said, ‘Leave her there. Teach her a lesson.’ Dennis said he was very panicky that he was sitting and (Wagner) kept drinking and kept drinking,” Lana Wood said.

    The case of Wood’s death has long been speculated upon, and investigators have new, conflicting information to pore over in what has now become a murder investigation. No word yet from Wagner or Walken on the developments.

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