Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - NEW DETAILS FORCE GRAND JURY IN HOLLYWOOD STAR NATALIE WOODS' DEATH?

Episode Date: November 10, 2021

Natalie Wood's younger sister has been on a 40- year journey to find out what really happened the night the Hollywood star drowned. The 43-year-old actress was found in the waters off Catalina Island. She had been sailing aboard the 'Spendour' with her husband Robert Wagner, and friend Christopher Walken. Originally, the coroner ruled her death an accidental drowning, but since then, the autopsy has been revised, and her death labeled, suspicious. Robert Wagner is considered a suspect in Wood's death.In her new book, "Little Sister: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood," Lana Wood lays out her beliefs of what happened that night, based on the new autopsy finding, new witness statements, and more.Joining Nancy Grace Today: Lana Wood - Actress and Producer, Author: "Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood" harpercollins.com, Instagram/Twitter: @DeyStreet Dr. Angela Arnold - Psychiatrist, Atlanta GA www.angelaarnoldmd.com, Former Medical Director of The Psychiatric Ob-Gyn Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital Sheryl McCollum - Forensic Expert & Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder, ColdCaseCrimes.org, Twitter: @ColdCaseTips Dr. Michelle Dupre - Forensic Pathologist and former Medical Examiner, Author: “Homicide Investigation Field Guide” & "Investigating Child Abuse Field Guide", Former Police Detective Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Alexis Tereszcuk - CrimeOnline.com Investigative Reporter, Writer/Fact Checker, Lead Stories dot Com, Twitter: @swimmie2009 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A revised autopsy report, new witnesses, reports of a man and woman struggling, screaming, fighting out on the water, and then splash. New details being revealed now in a brand new book by the sister of a famous actress, Natalie Wood. With me, her sister and her brand new book. Crime Stories with her family. It was there she was hired as an extra in The Happy Land. Two years later, a screen test, a movie contract, and a name change from Natasha Gurdon to Natalie Wood.

At age nine, Parents Magazine picked her as the most talented juvenile star. Based on her performance as Susan Walker in the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, The New York Times. a Cause, a role which brought the first of three Oscar nominations. She was nominated as Best Actress for Splendor in the Grass. Again, the same nomination for her performance in the film Love with a Proper Stranger. But Natalie Wood will probably be best remembered for her role as Maria in the classic West Side Story. You were just hearing our friends from E.T. In the last days, we are learning more and more about the natalie wood investigation or a lack thereof with me an all-star panel to make sense of the brand new details that shed a light on her death floating there off the california coast how did that happen to a superstar with me dr angela

arnold psychiatrist joining us out of the Atlanta jurisdiction. You can find her at AngelaArnoldMD.com. Cheryl McCollum, founder and director of the Cold Case Research Institute at ColdCaseCrimes.org. Dr. Michelle Dupree, renowned forensic pathologist, former medical examiner, and author of Homicide Investigation Field Guide. Joining us, Alexis Terescha, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter, but first to Lana Wood, acclaimed actress, producer, and author of Little Sister, My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood. Lana, thank you so much for being with us. Oh, thank you. Thank you for caring. This is a real honor to have you speaking out. You know, very often people suggest that too much money is spent on an investigation,

too many man hours spent on an investigation. Until there is justice, an investigation is not over. We're talking about the death of your sister. And I want to jog everyone's memory with the words of the boat captain that night. Captain Dennis Davern, our cut 10. Let's hear it, Jackie. Yes, that night there was

an argument that actually started the day before. But that particular night in the afternoon, Christopher Walken and Natalie, they had gone ashore to a restaurant, which was the only restaurant on that part of the island. And the tension was building throughout the whole weekend

of Robert Wagner being jealous of Christopher Walken. And that afternoon, Robert Wagner and myself, we joined Christopher and Natalie at the restaurant for dinner. And we had dinner. We had drinks. Robert Wagner said it was time to return to the boat. Natalie, they wanted to say, no, we're going to go back to the boat. Interesting. That boat captain was there for the entire evening, and he describes tension building,

not just that evening, but for an entire day. In your brand new book, a lot of revelations, Lana. For instance, that boat captain tells you, quote, I held out on the cops. Why did he hold out on the cops? And what does he mean by that? What did he not tell the cops? That's significant. He literally told them exactly what RJ's attorney told him to say. That was to be everybody's response and he was not to elaborate on the response. RJ was his boss. RJ, you know, Dennis

idolized them both and was very taken by the fact that he was working for Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner aboard their yacht. And Dennis did as he was told. I was just going to ask you, Lana, he basically did as he was told. What is that, Dr. Angela Arnold? When people are so starstruck, they'll just go along with anything. Well, it's bad. It could be because of some money, but if somebody's very, I think this is going to lead a lot into the story, Nancy, because I don't think he was the only one that was starstruck. And when somebody, and it goes back to that, to what we always talk about, when people are in a higher position than you, you can be starstruck by people

for all different kinds of reasons, don't you? And you don't say what you really want to say to those people because they, because of how starstruck you are, they have a lot of power over you. That's an incredible revelation quote I held out on the cops. He's coming clean now and what he's got to say is a bombshell. Take a listen to Our Cut 11. This is Captain Dennis Davern. We all went back to

the boat. I tied the dinghy up on the swim platform with a bowline and a stern line and we all went inside the boat and opened a bottle of wine, put the kettle on for some tea because now they like to have tea before she went to bed. And the jealousy was, it was just getting so so tense,

that Robert Wagner picked up the bottle of wine and smashed it right in front of Natalie and Christopher on the coffee table. And at that moment, Christopher stood up and he went directly to his stateroom. And that was the last I've seen of him for that whole night. At that point, Natalie was devastated. And she went into her stateroom and Robert Wagner had followed. And they were arguing in the stateroom. And he goes on. Listen to this. That night, Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood Wood ferocious fight going on you turned up your music so they would not think in your mind that you were eavesdropping or trying to hear them

but you did hear them yeah yes I did and I kept the music going but I could I could still hear the arguing and then the arguing went on to the deck. And moments later, everything became silent. So I thought that maybe they were making up and maybe they were going to go to bed. That was going to be the end of it. So I waited for a little while and I still had the music on and I decided, well, I'm going to go down below and just I'm going to go to the up deck and just see if everything's OK. Robert Wagner was standing there. Leaning his back against the back of the boat, facing the facing the boat, and he said that Natalie was missing and would I go search the boat. Okay, right there to Cheryl McCollum joining me, founder and director of the Cold Case Research Institute at coldcasecrimes.org.

You and I have been on this case for so long and it is very upsetting and very frustrating that no charges have ever been filed. Let me ask you a question. If my husband went missing off a boat, it would be a cold day in H-E-double-L that I say, hey, Jackie, I can't find David. You go look for him. Oh, oh, hell no. Everybody would be awake. I mean, it would be like a siren in my throat, screaming for him, looking for him, getting all hands on deck. I got to find David. But that's not what happened. Did you hear what Dennis Davern said?

He said, Robert Rainer says, hey, you see, I can't find Natalie. Can you find her? Right. So, again, there's several things that jump out at this moment for me. One, searchlights are not turned on. Two, they don't search everywhere. He never tells him go to Christopher Walken's room. Yeah, if he's so jealous of Christopher Walken, why not go look at Walken's room? Maybe she's in there. Right. And go say, go wake him up and help get him to help us look.

He doesn't bother Christopher Walken at all. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. I've got to ask Lana. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. I've got to ask Lana. Lana, how can you stand knowing that all of these facts were suppressed? I mean, you pour it all out in your new book, Little Sister, My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood. But all this time, you have been begging for justice. I have. I do believe that the homicide detectives that are on this case really have been doing a wonderful job.

Oh, really? Has there been charges? Because I didn't hear about them. No, no charges. Well, then it's not a wonderful job. It's a bad job. A wonderful job is when justice is sought and justice is obtained. That has not happened. No, they said that they felt they had enough to charge him. And the district attorney turned it down saying there's no smoking gun. Okay, well, actually, you know what? You may be right.

You may be right if, in fact, that is true. Guys, take a listen to more of what the key witness, the boat captain, had to say that night. This is Captain Dennis Davern. Listen. So I immediately went to my stateroom thinking that maybe she went to my stateroom because she felt maybe that she was safe there because the night before Natalie and I had gone ashore and we stayed at a hotel

because there was arguing the day before as well. So I came back and I told Robert Wagner that Natalie was nowhere on the boat. I looked in Christopher's stateroom. I looked in the other empty stateroom and she wasn't there. So I said to Robert Wagner, he said to me, he said, well, he said the dinghy has gone too. Well, I just knew that Natalie was so deathly afraid of water and not really capable of taking that boat by herself. But he said the boat was gone and she was gone. So I thought, well, let's turn on the

searchlight and let's just see if we can see her. So it was like he said no. Don't turn on the searchlight and don't call Coast Guard. Wow. Don't turn on the searchlight. Don't call the Coast Guard. Lana, a guy's with me is Natalie Wood's sister. And we are not letting it go. I don't care how famous Robert Wagner

is or his new wife. I don't care. I don't care how he's Hollywood royalty. This woman was killed and nothing has been done about it. Lana, jump in. Nothing has been done

about it. RJ will not speak to the new homicide detectives. They have tried and tried and tried. They have sat at the guard gate outside his house in Colorado in the cold. They have gone to his front door. They've done everything they possibly can to speak with him, and he absolutely refuses, which I find very odd because if you don't have anything to hide, why wouldn't you speak to them?

Hey, Nancy, I got to jump in. For Lana, I mean, here Natalie had all these beautiful dresses and fur coats. And you would think that Robert Wagner would say, hey, please come pick out what means the most to you. He never gave her anything, not a piece of jewelry, not a shirt, not a sock. Lana, is that true? I went over there with my boyfriend and two of his friends. They had rented a van. I told RJ that I was coming to pick up things. And we came later that day.

And it took those three guys eight hours and many trips to pick up everything that she left. RJ then had his attorney call and say, RJ wants to keep her furs. And I said, fine. And RJ wants to keep her wedding dress. And I said, oh, absolutely. My goodness. Yes. You know, I certainly won't take that or, you know, the furs. So I did get a ton of Natalie's things, but it was so overwhelming. I don't know if anybody can quite understand her closet was bigger than my living room it was about two of my living room wait a minute wait a minute before people judge her she and i was is was hollywood royalty and she was of the mind like you know have you ever seen jennifer lopez come out looking bad never nope even when she's going to the gym, she's just awesome. And I would like to point out that during Dancing with the Stars, I actually met her. And can I tell you something?

She was flawless. She didn't even look real. Just totally perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect everything. And sweet and gracious. She didn't know me from Adam's house cat but she was so kind to me so i want to point out that hollywood stars they don't want to go out and be photographed looking horrible and it turns up on the front of the inquirer which it will okay yeah because everybody wants to drag down they want to see the pictures of a superstar

looking bad all right so natalie was very conscious of that landing you've told me that she would never go out unless she was perfectly made up her hair was done she had a new outfit or a nice outfit that was just her yes that was her. I said, we're going to the dermatologist. He's going to scrape your makeup off. Why do you do all this? And she said, I do it for my fans because this is who they see. This is who they love. And therefore, when I step out of the house, that's who I am. Did not want to disappoint her fans at all. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. In addition to autopsy reports, when I would try a murder case case i would bring in corroborating extrinsic evidence in addition to an autopsy i want you to take a listen to our cut 16 this is

from one of the only witnesses on that ship that night i went back to robert wagner and said she was nowhere nowhere on the boat and I said let's turn on the search light we had a very big search light and I said let's turn on the search light to see if we cannot if we could see her and he says we're not going to do that he said no and I said well let's call the let's call the restaurant he, we're not going to do that either. So we stood there and I was just devastated. I think I was actually in shock. And Robert Wagner poured me a drink.

And it was like torture that was going on. Well, I got to tell you, it's like torture me hearing that story. It's like torture that was going on well I gotta tell you it's like torture me hearing that story it's like torture you got Natalie Wood for Pete's sake out in the water drowning drowning at that moment

and Wagner pours the ship captain a drink and goes no don't call the coast guard don't turn on the light sit down ship captain a drink and goes, no, don't call the Coast Guard. Don't turn on the light. Sit down and have a drink. I mean, Lana, help me. I know.

It's just, it's surreal. I can't, I can't understand why anyone would feel like that, would react in that way. I mean, as far as looking, my dog once got out and I couldn't find him. The entire family was out calling him, going on, spreading out, looking here, looking around the corner, looking in another neighborhood. And that was my dog. The other thing that really troubles me that i feel a negative aspect onto that entire evening is when natalie was found and taken out of the water um rj didn't go to her side he did not identify her body Dennis did he sent Dennis to do it

you know what maybe I am projecting but when I learned that Keith was dead when I learned my father was getting put on life support I ran out in the street in New York at midnight dragging my children

trying to hail a cab to get home. I mean, I had to get to him. And even though they told me Keith was dead, I'm like, okay, wait, wait, wait, this is messed up. This isn't right. If I can just get there, I can fix this. I can get him to the hospital. I can get him. Of course, I don't know what I was thinking because there was nothing I could have done. But that is the mode of somebody you love. You want to get there. You want to find out. You want to fix it if you can.

Hey, Nancy, I got to jump in. Jump. Isn't it true that even the oldest daughter learned about her mama's death over a radio at a friend's house? I believe she did. I did also. I was called by an old friend of mine. Right. So he's not even sending people to the family.

He's not making sure they don't hear it over the radio. Sending people. Why didn't he pick up that phone? Oh, absolutely. And call me. Okay, guys, again, this is not going to make a murder case. But there is a lot of evidence that would make a murder case if the district attorney would get off his thumb and do something. But for some reason, that's not happening.

Joining us, Alexis Tereschuk, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Give me a recap, Alexis, about where this happened, about how her body is found out floating in the water with socks and a long gown. Tell me the whole thing, Alexis. So this happened on Catalina Island, which is just off the coast of Los Angeles. It's about a, they probably took them eight hours to sail over there. But you can see Catalina from Los Angeles. It's not very far away at all. It was a, there was a casino there back in the day.

It was a very fun, short vacation spot for people from Los Angeles. So they take this huge yacht over there. And the night she disappears, Robert Wagner tells a couple of different stories. First, he says, oh, you know what? She decided she was going to go party hopping. So she left the boat and she was going to go see if she could find some other boats that were having parties. And she leaves well when they finally two hours after she first went missing is when the police were finally called two hours and also the pacific

ocean is absolutely freezing cold wait alexis how did i miss that detail he originally said that natalie had gone party hopping oh it was terrible dan terrible, Nancy. He said, and then he added, she's that kind of woman. Really? I don't know what that says about you, Jackie. Okay, wait a minute. How did I miss that detail? He actually gave a completely different story, Alexis? He did.

He told police he thought she'd gone party hopping and that's why he wasn't worried about her party hopping she went to her room and put on all her lotion took off her makeup put on all that lotion she'd put on put on wool socks over the lotion on her legs and her feet put on a long flannel gown and that's how she was found. How could you not know your wife is 30 feet away in her room? And then Dennis Dever describes a horrible fight where he had to turn the music up so the guest wouldn't hear the two of them fighting. And he actually said she's party hopping. She's that kind of woman. Oh, I didn't understand that, Alexis Teresha.

Go ahead. So he tells the police this so there is a search out for her body first i'm being but they are not anywhere near each other and thingy is a little small boat the big boat is anchored off the shore you would take the little d on to shore to go shopping or whatever rubber not to interrupt but the dinghy is rubber go ahead yes yes it's not a big wooden boat. It's just like a little inner tube type thing. So when it was found, Euclid Roberts says, oh, well, she got in the Dini. She went party hopping. When it was found, it was in neutral. The police officer who

found it and the investigators said it looked like it had never been used. So what that means then, Cheryl McCollum, is she was pushed off the splinter, that's the name of the boat that she shared with her husband, Robert Wagner, pushed off and then the perp thought, ooh, let's make it look like she went out on the dinghy and let the dinghy go in neutral. And then the waves took them the right way.

Okay, Dr. Michelle Dupree joining us. I want you to hear this. This is our Cut 24. This is the L.A. County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant John Carina. Listen. There's actually more than one witness who came forward and heard him on the back of the phone arguing. And what was important about that is they're collaboratingate with Dennis Suburban. And that is really intense and so bad that he had went down to the cabin to check on them because he was worried that there was some kind of assault going on. And that's when he was told to go away by Robert Wagner.

And then Natalie and Robert Wagner end up on the back of the boat arguing. And then it goes quiet. So those witnesses were on a different boat nearby corroborating exactly what Dennis Ambrose was telling us. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. So, Dr. Michelle Dupree, you have carefully reviewed a, it's about a 34-page revised autopsy. And I want to hear your thoughts now that you know not only what's in the revised autopsy, Dr. Dupree, but also that not just Dennis Davern heard R.J. Wagner screaming at Natalie Wood just before she goes overboard. Other people on other boats heard the same thing. He's not making this up. There's corroboration. Nancy, you're absolutely right. And this is very interesting

because we talk about looking at the totality of circumstances, and that's exactly what this case is all about. We take those witnesses into account. We look at the autopsy report, and injuries are documented, clearly documented on this report. They all appear to be fresh injuries. They don't in and of themselves say that this was homicide, but certainly it leaves room for that to be discussed. What are the injuries, Dr. Dupree? The injuries are superficial bruises and abrasions, which are scratches, on the extremities. Now, some of those could happen, of course, when you fall into the water.

I don't know. I've never been bruised and scratched when I jump into the water, but okay. Nor have I. Well, not when you jump into the water, but the important thing is that most of the time when that happens, they're on the bony areas, our knees, our elbows. Why would she get a bruise from falling into the water? Because she may hit a rock. She may hit the bottom. It could be anything, but let me finish. But that's not a fact.

Let me finish. And that's what I am trying to dispel. Maybe. I don't want to hear maybe, honestly. Well, let me finish. So there are also other bruises that are not on those normal places

where we would expect to find them. And that's the important part. They're on the back of her calves. They're on her thighs. Those are not places where you would find injuries normally happening in an accidental kind of case. Okay, hold on right there, Alexis. You're hearing Dr. Michelle Dupree. She says some of the bruises may have occurred when Natalie falls, gets pushed, thrown overboard into the water. But you know what? That's never happened to me when I've jumped off a boat.

Ever have I gotten a bruise. And it's my understanding the boat, the Splendor, was not anchored out in a rocky area. Where was it anchored? No, it's right off the coast of Catalina. It's not a rocky area. There's kelp, but there aren't rocks. It's really a very famous actual kelp forest. And what about this? I want

you to analyze this. This is, again, Lieutenant John Carina. It's Erica 29. Listen. How many times has Mr. Wagner hurt you? I think we reached out to him at least two or three times How many times has Robert Wagner refused to talk about the night his wife is killed? Lana Wood, actress, producer, author of a brand new book, Little Sister, My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood. She's not letting it go,

and neither are we. You can read her book. I downloaded it and read it on Kindle. It's on Amazon. Little Sister, My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood. Okay, Cheryl, there's just so much evidence, so much in the new book. Do you think we should send it, gif wrap it, and send it to the LAPD? Well, I mean, as you know, I've called it in myself, and I'll tell you where I think all their focus needs to be, but I think it's important for people to remember that Natalie divorced Robert Wagner once. So their marriage clearly had some past issues. There's no question about it.

She spent the night before her death on shore because she didn't want to be on that boat with him. Her right thigh, her knee, her right upper leg, the back of her leg, her right ankle, her neck, her forehead, her brow, her cheek, her left thigh, the back of her right knee and thigh, the back of her right leg. And here's something that really stands out for me. She still had 300 cc's of urine in her body. That tells me she was not conscious when she went in the water. A live person fighting, drowning will void of urine. Yes. Lana Wood, you have put, this is a labor of love and a quest for justice.

Your new book, Little Sister, My Investigation into the Mysterious death of Natalie Wood. Lana, should I go ahead and order it on Amazon and send it to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department? You think that might help them get off the pot? I don't know. I wish it would. he said all we know is there were two people on the back of a boat fighting then there was only one I think that more or less

says it all I mean Alexis Tereshak you are joining us from LA what is the problem? I don't understand why there are no charges. The problem is that Robert Wagner is and was a huge star at the time. And the investigation, they believed him. They believed what he said.

They believed when he said, you know, we had a fight. I went away. I didn't know what happened. And we waited. She had a party reputation. They believed when he said, you know, we had a fight. I went away. I didn't know what happened. And we waited. She had a party reputation. They believed him. The investigators believed him. So now, all these years later, and it didn't help that the captain of the boat did not tell the truth in the beginning, which he has now said. He told Lana this. He said this in several interviews. He told you he did not tell the truth in the beginning. So the investigators were not working with the whole story. But now they are, Alexis. Right. They can talk about a liar. But at the time,

they didn't have the details. Now, you know, there is a new district attorney in Los Angeles. I believe the district attorney who said they needed a smoking gun was the previous one. There is a new district attorney in Los Angeles. So this might be a case that they would go after. What about Atlanta Wood? Do you think there's any chance with a new DA in town? I have no idea. I wish. You know, all of these things are hopeful for me, but I won't count on them because he's gone unscathed for far too many years.

Yes, he was a star. He was important. He also, I handling all this, John Ziffrin, was mentored by a known fixer for the Las Vegas, Los Angeles mob. It's been written about several times. And it's funny because then R.J. also gave that attorney's son a job on his series Heart to Heart. So he had power and money and the semblance of what a star should be. People are very taken by all of those things. I don't think they would be today, but they certainly were then. Lana, what do you think Natalie's reaction would be to know you have written and published this book, and it's just coming out, guys?

I think she would be moved to tears and say thank you please keep trying. Could you tell me what is your goal in going forward with this book? I want the truth out there the simple undiluted truth from RJ's mouth. That's what I want. I don't care if he's arrested or not arrested. You know, everybody says to me, Oh,

well, you know, poor man, he's 91 now. I don't care. And my sister will never see 91 or 60 or 70 or, you know, she's gone. She was wrenched from everyone, from her children, from me, from her mom and dad. I mean, you know, so I can't really feel badly and think that I should make some sort of concession because he's 91.

I want him to stop all this crazy, absolutely crazy crap and tell the truth. I think the only real way to get even a rough shot at the truth is to convene a grand jury in this matter. The brand new book, Little Sister, My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood on Amazon. And it's pretty incredible. Nancy Grace, Crime Stories, signing off. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.