NATALIE, R.J. and that One Solitary Moment when it was for naught
BY Jennifer Schrinel
That one point in time when a tragedy occurs. Changing a family, friends and fans forever! A situation that causes a gaping hole in many lives never to be filled. November 29, 1981 has two meanings to me: one it was my 6th birthday and two it was the day actress Natalie Wood passed away off the shores of Catalina Island. I will never forget coming in the door with my family from my party at every 80s child’s fun zone Chuck e Cheese, to see my mother turn on the news and exclaim in shock: “huuuuuuh!” with her eyes getting very big and the news camera scanning past the Wagner yacht. To this day Natalie Wood’s death and my birthday are tied to together in my memory. With this date approaches I know the inevitable will happen I will be one year older and the merciless exploitation of Natalie Wood’s tragic death will again surface its ugly head. Every year since her death, newspapers, tabloids, magazines, and most currently bloggers and conspiracy theorists on social media toy with this event as if it is some mystery novel or episode of a television series and not a real situation that happened and effected real people.
With new books and their release dates fast approaching and this event being so much in the news lately Natalie Wood’s death became of interest to me again. I decided to take a look at this case myself with an open mind. I read all the books out there, and not to get an author’s opinion because the author was not there, but to, one get an idea who Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner are through quotes and stories of people who knew them, worked with them , and were around them a lot. Also to get an insight into that night and the investigation and the search for Natalie Wood. I read Ms. Suzanne Finstad’s book, “Natasha a biography of Natalie Wood,” a bit of an asset to my research as she was the one author that had looked into the police report into the investigation. Through quotes from everyone that was around from the police, to the searchers, to the people that occupied other boats around the Wagner’s yacht, to the people who worked the restaurant that night and to the patrons who were enjoying their dinner and visiting with the Wagner party. As it is also very important to know all sides of all the stories of the people who were aboard the yacht “Splendour” that weekend I also read Mr. Robert Wagner’s book “Pieces of My Heart”, The care taker of the Wagner’s yacht, Mr. Dennis Davern’s book .“Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour”, Ms. Lana Wood’s book “A Memoir by Her sister, Mr. Gavin Lambert’s book “Natalie Wood: A Life” and Mr. Warren G. Harris’s book, “R.J. and Natalie: Hollywood’s Star-Crossed Lovers.” If that is not being objective I do not know what is?
I took great lengths in reading through Natalie Wood’s autopsy and the added editions to it with the reopening of the investigation. Even looking up a few medical terms, and descriptions up as part of my research. Now I do not profess to be a police detective, an experienced coroner, or any kind of criminal psychologist, but I will ask to be heard out and explain why Natalie Wood’s death is not a homicide but a tragic accident. Let’s start from a few tall tales that have been circulating since 1981, that there was a love triangle going on, or a pre planed murder plot, or that Robert Wagner called up the coast guard either were the Wagner Yacht was docked or the coast guard in Catalina too do research for an upcoming episode of “Hart to Hart” that would deal with a story line that had a victim that would die in similar circumstances of Natalie’s death. First off when The Wagner’s had their Thanksgiving Party they invited many of their friends along for their weekend trip to Catalina Island. Per Lana’s book and several friends who said so over the years in the news. Yes their friends all had to drop out one by one and it only became the four of them, The Wagner’s, Dennis Davern and friend Christopher Walken. But the point is a bunch of people were expected, so how many killers do you know who invite and audience to the crime? Or how many people do you know who plan to have some personal time under some ones else’s nose and bring a long a crowd to watch? Hmm? Let’s get serious here. With Mr. Walken being very boat sick whenever he was onboard “The Splendor”, when could he possibly be feeling like doing anything other than sleeping, as for “Hart to Hart” having an episode that mirrored Natalie Wood’s death there wasn’t one. The episode in which people are saying has to do with her death is titled “ From the depths of My Heart,” .In which the Harts go scuba diving on an unnamed island to test an underwater camera for Hart industries science labs, only to find their camera man dead on the surf. Tell me how this episode is anything like what happened to Natalie? Not to mention why would Robert Wagner call any coast guard to research the episode? First off he has no writers or producers credits for the show, and if he didn’t like a script he could ask them to change it. As for the scuba diving scenes in the episode, if he had questions about the scuba diving he would undoubtedly ask the experts who would be on set for safety reasons during the filming.
I cannot for the life me see how anyone would take these tabloid tales as facts. I thought now if I could see through them than surely everyone else can. Obviously not, since books, articles and blogs continue to sprout these stories as if they are fact to this day. With all the reading I did do, I wanted to know more about Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. From what I been able to see they sure were very much old Hollywood and had loads of friends and gave some rip roaring parties and had great fun and loved to laugh. What I was looking for in all this reading was the symptoms of domestic abuse, isolation, control, mysterious injuries and excuses. I could find nothing being said in books or interviews by people who knew them that this kind behavior ever went on. Yes it was said they disagreed and obviously were not afraid to tell each other their opinions, but not one person not even Dennis Davern nor Lana Wood who both insist that Wagner had something to do with Natalie’s death have ever said that they witnessed abuse of any kind happening between the couple, and I have read both their books and listened to many of their interviews. Both Lane Wood and Dennis Davern have known them both a lot longer than most. It has been 40 some odd years since Natalie Wood’s passing and if not one person, friend, co-star acquaintance of theirs has ever come forward in that many years to talk abuse then it was not witnessed. It is not a matter of protecting anyone, because even the closet friends get concerned about one another and talk at some point. It just means no abuse ever happened. The press, The Magazines and The News programs have never ever came out with any criminal records for either Robert Wagner or Natalie Wood and everyone knows how they itch to use their right to exploit criminal records on celebrities. There just is not any. This couple were not criminals and apparently did not have an abusive bone in their bodies as evidenced by no evidence and makes it even more so that Natalie’s death was an accident, and just snapping an doing a criminal act does not make any sense to me. There is a reason for all behaviors. People do not just snap.
What bothers me the most about Natalie Wood’s Autopsy is the fact that people have the nerve to fabricate injuries and situations that her body just did not show evidence of ever happening, for instance that she was dragged across or shoved down on the deck of the Splendor or she was strangled and hit over the head. Or that she was in some knock down drag out fight with her husband and had kicked with her feet. The worst story yet is that Robert Wagner threw his wife into the walls of their state room. These are not only fantastic fables but also impossible to have happened. What does it take to get people to understand what is in black and white? The autopsy states no trauma to her head, no damage to her skull or brain, not even so much as a bald spot on her scalp. Meaning she was not hit on the head, or fell on her head or had her head shoved into anything and she was not grabbed or dragged by her hair. In the autopsy they examined her neck, the muscles, and tendons, the bones, no trauma nothing broken or torn. Not even a solitary bruise on her neck. Only a teensy tiny scratch on her neck. She was not strangled. As for any dragging or being shoved on deck impossible. There was absolutely positively no injuries on her chest, stomach, back waste or behind. Not even a drag mark as she would have if she was dragged. Not to mention this yacht was not an ocean cruise liner, there was not the room for someone to be dragged let alone beat up. And for anyone to have dragged her out the cabin doors she would have marks on her arms and head, not only from the doors but the benches on each side of the doors, let alone injuries from being dragged over two hatch covers. The only mark found was on her abdomen, and old surgical scar, and Mr. Wagner would not being doing surgery on his wife.
I went over every conceivable injury Natalie could have gotten connecting her with those four walls and what I found out is she either didn’t have the wounds or the ones she did have did not match up. This is a four walled room not much bigger than a walk in closet. If she was too make contact with the left wall she no doubt land on the bed and hit her head on the window sill since the bed partly tucks under it. Which did not happen, no head wounds. If you go to the right there is a chest of drawers with handles on the individual drawers, if Natalie had had contact to this side of the room she would have had bruises in the shapes of the handles on down at least one side of her body. They were not there and according to the autopsy the bruises she had were not any known pattern and were slight and One thing I looked at when looking at pictures and videos of The Wagner’s state room was the walls. superficial bruises. Which cancels out any bruising she would get from falling on the steps from the door to the salon, and no doorknob bruises that she would get from connecting with the bathroom door or the doors to the back deck. Not to mention that there was glass in those doors. Any hard contact with the bathroom door would cause the mirror on the inside to crack or break. Same with the glass in the back deck doors, any contact with those by force would cause them to crack and break. It would cause cuts on Natalie and blood on her and the floor with the busted glass pieces around. Which was not present when Davern, his friends or the police saw the room. Not so much as a busted piece of furniture or holes in the walls could be found.
The description given by Deputy R.W. Kroll, of the Avalon Sheriff ‘s Department in his report as seeing partially eaten food, empty wine bottles , and clothing scattered about the cabin. It was not till years later that Davern would say through his book and on television appearances that there were also pillows scattered about, possibly blankets on the floor and an earring in the corner of the tiny room. To me this is not the scene of a homicide, as each aspect that contributed to the mess was done at different times during the day. The food left there from earlier in the afternoon, the empty wine bottle’s left untouched in the room from when they returned from dinner hours earlier. It is also a fact all three men on board said that Natalie changed into a night gown after coming back from dinner, quickly as to join the others in the main salon. Which would explain her clothes scattered on the floor. The point of the room description people seem to point fingers at, is the earing in the corner. The golden rock shaped earring that is alleged to be ripped from Natalie’s ear by her husband and thrown at a wall. First off if an earring was yanked off any one of her ears there would be an injury very visible to the coroner and notated in the Autopsy. Which no notation was present. Also when Natalie was laid to rest she was put in a fur coat and earrings put on her ears. If she was missing any part of her ear lobes this could not have been done. Second: The earring was in the shape of a rock. If that earring had been thrown as hard as some people alleged there would have been a dent or at least A mark on the wall were it hit. Nothing of that nature was noticed by any of the people giving descriptions of the room. The coroner’s report state’s she was found with rings on her fingers, a bracelet on her right wrist and a chain belt around her waist. Until recently when Davern said she had them on in his book. None of the guys described her as wearing earrings when they last saw her only in a nightgown. That gold rock earring could have been where it was found in the corner for quite a while and had nothing to do with the evening Natalie died or she could have taken them off when she went to bed before Mr. Wagner went down to their room. Until it is said were the other earring was found in the room we will never know how the pair got separated, but it is very doubtful it has anything to do with Natalie’s death. It is also logical to assume that when Natalie was turning down her bed to go to sleep, she would have scattered her crocheted pillows used to decorate the bed on the floor and even dropped a blanket. The bed it’s self is set up into a couch and tucked partially under a window and has to be pulled out and flattened out for two to sleep in it. All of these motions could explain the bumping noises heard by Davern that night. I’m not saying things did not get scattered even more with people meandering through the room later in the evening and in the coming days
Another aspect of this assumption that both of them got into this knock down drag out fight and beat each other up. One, no defensive wounds on either of them were ever noticed. None mentioned in Natalie’s obit at all just superficial bruising and a scratch or two. If she is fighting him off she should have defensive wounds as he would had if it been the other way around. No serious wounds period on her or Mr. Wagner either. Not one police officer who talked with Robert Wagner or anyone on the ship who was with him said there was any scratches or wounds on his hands or face. Two of the most common places for defensive wounds to be found. Not one person described Wagner as being in pain. Not even the very next day when Davern see’s Robert Wagner’s children crying in his arms, as with others who during that period of mourning who shook his hands and hugged him not once did any say he winced or showed any sign of discomfort. Not even in days after the Funeral. Davern’s description of Wagner is he was a bit disheveled, describing his clothes and hair as being askew. Nothing about rips, tears or his clothes being any bit wet as they would be after a physical argument and after he would put his wife in water. As Natalie would have fought him tooth and nail being afraid of dark water as she was and it is not easy for one adult to carry another full grown adult in that small space they were in or at any time at all. There is no evidence that he changed clothes or cleaned himself up at any time.
So were there witnesses? As far as a witness to any physical abuse of any kind. NO! There never was in all these many years anyone coming forward to have witnessed that kind of activity. We all have read about the people who worked in the restaurants, shops, and the hotel and even the many people who were in the neighboring boats around the Wagner Yacht. It is well known that they were on the island of Catalina that weekend driving their dingy back and forth to and from shore, shopping, eating out and having a great time part of the time why not particularly getting along at other times. The first night Natalie is witnessed by those on board the splendor and people on the surrounding boats as getting upset with her husband for a short amount of time, for not wanting him to move the yacht at such a late hour and in such terrible weather. No physical altercation was witnessed. The boat was not moved and Natalie eventually with Davern went on shore to stay at the local Hotel. Everything seemed to boil over by the next morning and the “Splendor” was now moored at two harbors by early afternoon. As for that final night of Natalie’s life, the final hours, not many heard anything exception of a lady who from her near buy boat has over the years claimed she heard some calls for help between 11:05 and 11:25 pm. As far as the people on board the Splendor they did not hear anything as far anyone falling from the yacht or being tossed in the water, no splashes or screaming sounds. With generators running on nearby boats and Davern with the radio turned up, it is not surprising nothing was heard.
Time line wise everything that happened was in a very short space of time. I started my time line from the time the Wagner party left the restaurant the final evening of Natalie’s life. The time line starts at 10:00 pm when the Wagner party left the restaurant as seen by the harbormaster who was called by the restaurant owner to ask him to watch the party return safely to the yacht. Now according to the Caretaker Davern: They get back to the boat maybe 10 minutes later 10:10 pm. For the next thirty-five minutes a number of things occurred. Natalie changes into her nightgown and either she or Davern heats up some tea for her to have later. A call from the boat Capricorn comes in during their conversations. With the owner asking to get together with the Wagner party for drinks and being turned down by Mr. Wagner. The conversation went into a dispute between Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken in which Wagner got angry at Walken’s intrusion into his and Natalie’s personal life. Robert Wagner then yells out and smashes a bottle over a table. There is a dispute of weather Natalie went to bed after or before the bottle was broken. Natalie did go to bed at about 10.45 pm and at any rate she would have heard the ruckus weather she was in the in her stateroom or still in the main salon. I have been on boats and even on cruise ships the walls are paper thin. After her departure all parties have agreed over the years that Christopher Walken and Robert Wagner stepped outside the side door off the salon to talk for a few minutes before coming back in and Mr. Walken goes off to bed. Wagner talks with Davern for a few minutes and then by 10:50 is in the stateroom with Natalie. Davern stays in the salon over hearing an argument between the couple till about 11:00 p.m. when he knocks on their state room door. Robert Wagner answers and sends him away. The caretaker runs up to the bridge, and which takes mere seconds and by the time he is on the bridge he hears the Wagner’s voices start up again and he peeks down and see’s their shadows. They are just under the bridge by their state room door. When Davern hears their voices start up again quickly after they came outside he turns the radio on and up at about 11:03 pm and sits there for ten minutes
It’s those next ten minutes that we want to know what happened after Davern turns the music off and then eventually heads down to the salon goes out and exits out the side door and ends up face to face with Mr. Wagner on the back deck outside the main state room about 11:15 pm. The five minutes before the music was off, was when the Wagner’s voices starting at a normal tone and then getting very loud and just stopping just as they did in their stateroom. What was going on out on the deck was witnessed also by a man on a nearby boat. This sighting was put in one of the many versions of the Suzanne Finstand book. This fellow whose boat was enough distance away that he could see, the Wagner’s but not here a thing they were saying. From what this man said he saw them on the back deck talking in what he described as very animated conversation with their arms and hands moving about. Them the Wagner’s stop and our just standing there with their arm’s down. At this point the man decides nothing is going on and goes to bed. So what happened in the next ten minutes? We have to look at Natalie Wood’s autopsy. According to the autopsy Natalie had two medications in her system and two full vitamin like pills found in her stomach. These undigested pills say two things. One since pills take a minimum of 15 to 30 minutes to dissolve in your stomach we know Natalie went back in the room when things got quiet to take those pills and she did not live very long after getting in the water. As for were Robert Wagner was we must look at where he said he was the last time he saw Natalie. Robert Wagner could not have been still outside. It makes no sense for him to stay out their why she takes her pills come on and he is not going to say excuse me you can take your pills before I kill you. I mean come on now. The only thing that could have happened is he went in first with her coming behind. Robert Wagner has said consistently over the years that the last time he saw Natalie was from the main salon and the door to the cabin was open and she was brushing her hair in the mirror and then she shut the door. So in the next few minute Wagner decides to go back in to say good night and she was not there. He looks around their stateroom and in the bathroom and then out on deck. Then Davern decides to come down the stairs and go out the side door and winds up face to face with Wagner on the back deck.
Where did Natalie go and why was the dingy gone? Which both Davern and Wagner discovered when looking for Natalie. Yes they both looked for her, Wagner outside and Davern inside and then they switched. This is according to both men in both their books and in interviews. Christopher Walken was asleep this whole time. Did he hear any of the arguing? The first night he did and the second night maybe he heard some goings on. The arguing did not bother him. Walken always referred to it as small beef and always proclaimed Natalie’s death a tragic accident. Now Natalie Wood is a lady with a nightly routine and for some time according to everyone who knew her she took a sleeping pill every night. According the autopsy it was not in her system. It is obvious that Natalie was interrupted that evening. She had to have been in her stateroom between six and eight minutes before she left it again with her coat on. The only thing she could have been interrupted buy is this dingy. I ‘m not surprised with how bad the weather and ocean currents were that weekend. I do not understand how people can find this so impossible. Everybody who’s been on the yacht and new Natalie said this was problem many times in interviews. Obviously there is nothing else out there she would have went out the cabin to do and know body was out there. All were inside in different places. I do not think she was going anywhere away from the yacht. Though I believe she could if she wanted too. She took Christopher Walken to shore without Davern or her husband starting the dingy for her earlier that day. Even according to Natalie Wood’s close friend Peggy Griffith’s seems to really believe that is what Natalie was doing that night and even took turns fixing the dingy that banged when she was on the yacht previously describes in the “Natasha” book by Suzanne Feinstad how they did it. “ You had to go unlock the little gate that was in front of the swim-step, and step down on it, and untie the dinghy–pull it really tight and tie the knot again. “ According to her and some of her friends Natalie would fix the dingy if no one on board the yacht could hear her ask to fix it or no one was around. Possibly that she was annoyed with all the going on that weekend, tired and did not want to go hunting for those on board and decided to quickly do it herself and accidently fell in.
I agree with the corner Thomas Noguchi‘s findings as well as the report done by Paul Miller in some places and believe that some of Miller’s guesses on the bruises are correct but not all. They certainly no more than I would in their respected professions. Natalie had three degrees of bruising on her body, day old, recent and fresh in the coroner’s diagram. Some scratches and an abrasion on her face and marks above her right eyebrow. I do not know why the coroner specified only the fresh bruises in description section of the report, when he specified three kinds in his diagram. The fresh marks on her body were from the accident in retying the dingy. Natalie Wood unties the dingy open the door and steps out on swim deck. The movement for her body would have been she would move out wards with the flow of the dingy and then pulled it in words and then re tie it but as Paul Miller said the wind came up and blew forward into the water. She was not knocked out but frightened and shocked from the icy water. She come up and pulls herself up on the side of the dingy scraping above her eye brow and cheek causing the abrasion on the emergency rope notches and paddle on side of the dingy. Also causing the scratch on her neck on a handle on the side of the boat. All were made in up word motion according to the autopsy. The molded Handles on a dingy always have seems from being molded together. She caused the bruise over the top of the badly healed bone in her left wrist and some of the bruising under her right arm both on the paddle. At this point she would also start slowly beginning the symptoms of the dry drowning that she passed away of. The water she got in her mouth and nose would have started the process slowly. Yet she was still able to yell out for help after the wind came and blue her out to sea. Where she was too far away for help about a mile away from the Wagner Yacht. Evidenced by couple hearing her call out as she was blown away by the wind. After the dingy settles somewhat with Natalie still hanging on it she tries to get into the dingy causing more bruising to the underside of her left arm and to her front left thigh. At one point as Paul Miller says she goes to back by the motor and tries to lift herself by the dinghy’s motor by rapping her arm around it and climbing up with one foot on the metal frame under the motor causing more bruising to the inside of her left arm and the bruising and scratches on the back of her left leg. Eventually she got back to the side of the dingy may have tried again to get in and failed and with combination of alcohol and meds in her system, the hypothermia and the starting over dry drowning would have eventually made her very tired. Too tired to try to get to shore. Natalie would begin coughing and aspirating and trying to breathe better. Some water did get in her lungs at this point as in the autopsy specifies that there an abundance of water in some sections of the lungs. Eventually she started the frothing and not being able to breathe and passes way and separates from the dingy she was clinging too. With the dinghy ending up several miles away in Blue Cavern Cove the next morning. The coat is isn’t why she drowned at all, it did keep her from getting in the dinghy and made her able to be found but she died from a dry drowning. Why people think a dry drowning has nothing to do with water or having water in your lungs is beyond me. It has everything to do with it and her autopsy said quite a bit of water in sections of her lungs.
Now the recent and day old bruises came from before she was in the water. They were not from being beaten up by anyone but buy her activities that weekend. The coroner Mr. Noguchi has part of the reasons when he says the bruising to the upper parts of her legs came from traveling in the dingy. Natalie normally as seen in pictures and when not driving the dingy would sit over the side on top of one of the locked in paddles. With roughness of ocean water and its currents can be pretty rough and strong enough to move some cruise ships around. So it would not take much to move around a small dingy and the things on it and in it bumping into Natalie why she is on board. The recent bruise on her left knee is from the argument she had with Robert Wagner the first night when she was upset over him wanting to move the boat. Witnesses on other boats saw her fall on her knee. So the coroner’s are right on that including the one on “Autopsy the Last Hours”. When she went through the hotel doors later that night where she decided to stay the staff described her and Davern as barely getting through the doors. A store owner were she shopped earlier said in one account she bumped into something in their store. Either one of these events could cause some of the recent bruising as well. That final night Natalie bumped into a paper palm tree leaving the restaurant, though I doubt this made a mark. The recent bruise on the side of her lower left ankle and some of the limp scratches on the lower back of her left leg came from trying to get into the dinghy her final night. She was seen buy quite a few people on shore including dock worker Kurt Craig and short boat operate William Peterson who said he saw her being helped in to the dinghy by Davern and she stumbled and screamed. It is quite obvious by her actions and the direction and places of the left leg injuries it was from boarding the dingy. You do not scream out like that unless there is some pain in your actions. All her recent injuries were from accidents from her movements that weekend. Not from being beat up. As for the day old bruises she probably already had them when she boarded the Yacht. Natalie routinely took Cyclizine that causes you to bruise very easily. Which would explain why Natalie bruised more easily than the others.
Why Robert Wagner waited almost two hours to call for help is not really that mysterious. It was more like an hour and forty or forty-five minutes because they spent some time looking for her. First of all everyone that has said what they would do is talking from this is what I would do after knowing what happened to her. Not from actually being their when the events went on and had the same feelings then those present would have that night. Whether people like it or not Mr. Wagner only thought is his wife is gone. The dinghy is gone. She must have went some were. That is what he keeps saying that is what he thought. The details of what she last had on, of being afraid of water or any other details were just not his mind. The last thing anyone thinks of about love one is they are hurt. His mind was she went off in the dingy and we will wait for her to come back. Which I have no problem thinking. Unfortunately it is so easy to lose track of time of time for anyone even if something like this is not going on. We do not stay glue to our clocks much. I’m sure drinking did play big part, as well as emotions and trying to think where she went He did call about 1:30 am and search came on took a few hours before they figured out where she was. It took a good amount of convincing by the searchers for him to really expect and realize she passed away. He came off as every bit the devastated husband. The first thought in his mind was his daughters and how to tell them. I do not hold it against him that he asked Davern to identify her body. He was devastated. Many devastate people who lost a love one cannot identify the body. It’s a painful thing to deal with and it’s is very common for people to have others close to identify the loved one for them. I really tired people making a bigger deal of it then it was. Mr. Wagner did nothing that a real murders do to cover a crime up. He didn’t have yacht up. Or have Davern drive the boat out of there or get a plane to fly him out. Why would he there was no crime and he was most worried about his wife. He grieved for weeks with his daughters. Mr. Wagner did not just get up and go back to life you know.
With the police reopening Natalie’s death and having a new autopsy the story has not been found to be any different. All the new corners wrote was what the first coroner said she drowned with undetermined circumstances. They cannot really tell you scientifically how she got in to the water. You can not. The investigators who re opened and worked the case did not come off very well on the Vanity Fair special. They were making facts that have been out there for years seem new. Why? Because that is all they had. Natasha, Natalie’s oldest daughter did the best thing in making her documentary “Natalie Wood: What Remains behind.” Not only do we get to learn more about Natalie Wood as a person. We also got to here Robert Wagner’s side of the story. It was not long after this special aired that articles came out that investigators cleared him though the case remains open. One investigator passed away and the other retired and to me they came across as trying to get that last big case solved before they could retire. Even though a couple of sensationalized books came out on this case the news has pretty much slowed to a crawl on the case.
This was a human tragedy in fact. Thinking of what this family has gone through all these years and the fact Natalie Wood has not been remember as she should be makes me feel the pain they must have gone through. Natalie’s girls have had grown up and have gone through mile stones without her, had their family and father dragged through the ringer ever anniversary of her death. Imagine how they feel having online conspirator’s choose not only to go after their father but attack them for not going along with their conspiracies and acting like nothing more than a lynch mob ready to get Mr., Wagner at any minute. It is terrible. Robert Wagner did the best he could to keep his family together and move on from this event. Though it will always be there for him, Natasha, Courtney and the other two men on board. I’m sure it has haunted all of them and gone over it in their minds a million times about what could have happened. The three three men on board know they were not there for Natalie when she needed their help. We need to most remember who Natalie Wood was a very smart and talented individual. Who was a wife, mother, daughter, aunt, sister, cousin and friend too many. Very smart and talented. It has been over 40 years since this tragic accident. It is time to let Natalie rest in peace. Time for her family to be left alone to live their lives. I believe what Robert Wagner says. Natalie is now a butterfly that flies by and checks out her daughters and grandchildren from time to time.
