Natalie Wood Mystery: Captain of Yacht Passes Polygraph Test
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The recently reopened case of actress Natalie Wood’s drowning death focuses on new information that may implicate those on board the boat the actress fell from 30 years ago, including the boat’s captain, who has passed a lie detector test.
Dennis Davern, the captain of the Splendour, the yacht which the actors were staying on, said that he heard Wood and husband Robert Wagner arguing moments before she disappeared. Davern has said that he believes Wagner had a role in Wood’s death.
Davern had a lie detector test performed on him by examiner Howard Temple, who says that the results of the polygraph “indicated he was telling the truth.”
In this exclusive interview with “Good Morning America,” Temple said Davern told him that after Wood’s death Wagner instructed him to not speak about the drowning.
“Davern made the statement that he stayed at the Wagner home … [was] told not to talk …Wagner paid for his therapy, and Davern could not leave the estate without bodyguards,” Temple said.
In an NBC interview last week, Davern said ”Yes I would say so,” when asked about Wagner’s responsibility. He admitted that he may have been at fault as well, saying, “We didn’t take any steps to see if we could locate her. It was a matter of don’t look too hard, don’t turn on search light, don’t call anyone.”
Davern also said that he lied to officials in the initial police report. It is unclear whether he could face charges if that’s true.
Davern’s motives in revealing this new information regarding the night of Wood’s death have been called into question after he co-authored a book about the actress’s death. He and Marti Rulli wrote the 2009 book “Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour,” about the circumstances surrounding the actress’ death. He and Lana Wood, Natalie Wood’s sister, asked authorities to re-open the case last year.
ABC News has learned that detectives have now interviewed Marilyn Wayne, the boater who was aboard a ship 40 yards away that night in 1981. She claims she heard Wood screaming for help moments before she allegedly drowned off the coast of Catalina Island in California.
“They talked to me about what I remember from the case all those years ago,” Wayne told “Entertainment Tonight.”
Wood, the star of film classics like “West Side Story” and “Rebel Without a Cause,” apparently drowned while boating with Wagner and actor Christopher Walken, with whom she was filming what would be her last role in the movie “Brainstorm.”
The official cause of Wood’s death was determined to be accidental drowning, but because there has been little concrete information about the circumstances surrounding the events of that night, speculation has been rife and the case remains one of Hollywood’s longest-running mysteries.
Lifeguard Roger Smith, who pulled Wood’s body out of the water, has told “Good Morning America” that he believes the actress may have floated alive for hours.
“I could have saved her,” Smith said, adding that he was “not called in time.”
So far Wagner and Walken, the two men with Wood that night, are keeping quiet regarding the reopening of the case.
When gossip website TMZ.com caught up with Walken in West Hollywood Tuesday to ask him what he thinks about the reopening of the case, Walken simply said, “I don’t know.”
Wagner, the now 81-year-old star of the TV series “Hart to Hart,” is still hard at work, making an appearance as a murder suspect on an episode of CBS’ “NCIS” this week.
Wagner was not charged in Wood’s death, and police plan to reach out to him as part of the re-opened investigation. They say he is not a suspect.
With reporting by ABC News’ Abbie Boudreau, Suzan Clarke and Sheila Marikar.
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Why aren’t the news venues mentioning that her body was covered with bruises, why aren’t the police re examining the findings in the autopsy regarding the bruises. This seems like a second cover up.
Posted by: vtol05 | November 23, 2011, 10:16 am 10:16 am
Since when does a captain take orders from ANYONE on board the vessel he commands? I thought the captain was the highest ranking person on board. But I’m sure he was paid good money to obey a movie star and stay silent for 30 years. At Natalie’s expense. RIP.
Posted by: Gina | November 23, 2011, 12:27 pm 12:27 pm
With Lie detector tests being inadmissible in court and not scientifically proven to be accurate enough as a factual inidicator, I’m not beleiving the ‘new’ story this captain is spewing.
And VTOL05 – the captain may be the highest ranking person on board, but they are employed by someone else – and the employer has the right to order the captain in many, many ways.
However, this many years later he claims he lied back then? Fishy. Captain, Fishy.
Posted by: FormerMarineSgt | November 23, 2011, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm
Why would Wagner ask the captain to do those odd things: don’t call anyone, don’t turn on the search light, don’t leave the house without bodyguards, etc.? Anyone with common sense knows those are not the actions of a man who just lost his wife. He was obviously trying to hide “something.” Thank God for divine justice.
Posted by: Benjamin | November 23, 2011, 3:01 pm 3:01 pm
Second coverup…….he was being male spiteful because she was having an affair with Walken………too bad RW….it is time to fess up.
Posted by: lilymaid | November 23, 2011, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
Not fishy at all. When The Globe printed a front-page story ten years after Natalie’s death practically accusing RJ of murdering her, I called The Globe’s Ken Harrell, an investigative reporter I was acquainted with and whose number was in my rolodex, “How could you print that? Aren’t you afraid RJ will sue you?” Harrell replied, “RJ will never sue us. Our source was the captain of the boat and we’ve been sitting on that story for ten years!” RJ never did sue.
Lana Wood, Natalie’s sister, says the captain called her numerous times over the past 10 years giving bits and pieces of the same story he wrote publicly in his book, which was published two years ago and is now out of print. He didn’t do any promotion or publicity for the book then, so this is not about selling books but getting the truth out to the public. He gave the story to Vanity Fair for FREE.
Whether or not lie detector tests are admissible in court is immaterial. The fact is he DID pass a lie detector test, has offered to take another, and his co-author has also volunteered to take a lie detector test. Neither RJ Wagner nor Christopher Walken have offered any such thing. Oh, and Dennis’ co-author Marti Rulli, says RJ has NEVER disputed anything the captain said and in fact as time went on even CONFIRMED some of it, such as writing in his 2008 autobiography that he smashed the wine bottle in anger, when the captain was called a liar when he told Lead Detective Rasure about RJ smashing the bottle. Rasure believed RJ’s then-story that the wine bottle broke due to roiling water.
The captain has credibility; RJ does not. And why has Detective Rasure lied and now claims the weekend was to commemorate Natalie’s learning to swim? THAT is fishy.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 23, 2011, 4:55 pm 4:55 pm
Id HATE to believe RW would have been anything but SUPPORTIVE in efforts to find her, BUT..if Lana Wood feels SOMETHING is “terribly wrong”, thats good enough for me..Their girls are now old enough to stomach whatever this hidden information is..(I HATE it for them, BUT..The ONLY thing that matters now and ALWAYS mattered , was THE TRUTH..for NATALIE!! She was a beautiful and wonderful LAdy, who deserved RIGHT NOW to be ALIVE and celebrating THANKSGIVING with her children..If RJ IS hiding something terrible, sooner or later he WILL have to answer for it. I say … WHATEVER it Takes…for NATALIE!
Posted by: Tally | November 24, 2011, 2:27 am 2:27 am
If the captain were lying, Robert Wagner would have one heck of a lawsuit against him for slander/libel and has the means to do it. But you can’t sue when it’s true. The negligent police work on this should be investigated too.
Posted by: Tass | November 24, 2011, 1:00 pm 1:00 pm
Natalie Wood was terrified of water; the ONLY thing that could have sent her into a dinghy in the middle of the night is extreme shock, such as the shock she got when encountering Wagner and Walken in bed together. She divorced Wagner the first time in 1962 when she caught him in bed with another man; this time she tried to escape in the dinghy, and of course, this explains the coverup and why Davern was kept under wraps and why Wagner insisted no search initially and why he waited several ghours to report her missing. He is a bisexual and never gave up men.
Posted by: Schuyler | November 24, 2011, 4:51 pm 4:51 pm
A ship’s captain taking orders from someone else (a representative of the company who owned the ship and paid his salary) ??? Does anyone remember the TITANIC ?
Posted by: thebackgroundartiste | November 24, 2011, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
robert WAS INVOLVED. it may have been that he was giving her a ‘lesson’ by placing her outside the boat for cheating with chris walken. (see brainstorm movie, it is clear)
she was heard yelling from the nearby boat, and he was heard saying yeah yeah, i’lll be there.
Robert broke a bottle of wine on boat floor, chris saw this and went right to his room.
someone is lying about it. in movie brainstorm 1983, their is a magic to the both of them (chris & Natalie) that to me is not acting but be for REAL!
Posted by: joe | November 24, 2011, 5:42 pm 5:42 pm
Lana has been questioning all this since day one! I do not doubt that if someone had acted immediately they could have saved her. But I suspect the reason for doing the partying on the boat in the first place was to be where authorities would not be coming to the door! There is a LOT of drug use in CA, not just among the celebrities, but again, they can do it on their yachts where they won’t be seen or heard! So … maybe no one was in shape to save her! Maybe they were all stoned! Including the Captain? Terribly sad. She was one of my all time favorites, and so is RJ, and for that matter, so is Jill St. John. All very tragic, but I sincerely doubt there was any ill intent, just foolish drug use.
Posted by: Dody | November 24, 2011, 6:05 pm 6:05 pm
The comments on this page look more like tabloid fodder rather than true speculation. There’s no proof Natalie was having an affiair with Chris Walken. There is no proof that Robert Wagner or Chris Walken are bisexual. This is ridiculous. The focus should be on what really happened to Natalie Wood and if foul play was involved, that they find out who did this to her.
Posted by: Tigerbos | November 24, 2011, 6:30 pm 6:30 pm
If the police thought Robert Wagner were guilty in his late wifes death, they’d have done something about it. So what if Wagner and Wood were arguing before her untimely death, doesn ‘t mean he had anything to do with it. I think the captain IS lying!!
Posted by: Wanda | November 24, 2011, 6:37 pm 6:37 pm
The problem with the lie detector irrespective of it’s reliability is that the captain only said what he believes, which may or may not be a fact. I am no way defending Wagner, but this article does not say much at all.
Posted by: gfloyd | November 24, 2011, 7:23 pm 7:23 pm
Does not anyone realise that this entire story is about flogging a new book for sale?
Posted by: BruceK | November 24, 2011, 7:30 pm 7:30 pm
I too am deathly afraid of water, especially deep water. For her to attempt to go out on the dingy by herself is counteractive to a water phobia. Something smells fishy. RIP Natalie, I’ve always loved your acting.
Posted by: Jill | November 24, 2011, 7:36 pm 7:36 pm
The captain’s recollection is very lucid and detailed, and matches up to other witness statements. On the other hand, Robert Wagner’s recollection has been vague and shifty and hasn’t made sense. It’s indisputable that Robert Wagner waited over 4 hours to rescue his wife and only because he was pressured by too many witnesses to do it. He has never given a logical reason why his wife would’ve mysteriously and willingly jumped off the boat. You can endlessly chip away at the captain but at least do the same with the other 2 men on the boat that night. The captain has done everything to validate his account, the others have not and refuse to talk. Wagner and Walken should at least take lie detector tests, which they have never offered to do. And the book is already a few years old and not for sale. Do you see the captain doing a book publicity tour? No, you don’t. Even if he were it doesn’t mean the book is a lie, and there’s too much factual and corroborating info.
Posted by: kee | November 24, 2011, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
I hope they make Wagner and Walken take a Polygraph test as well!
Posted by: Tamma | November 24, 2011, 9:50 pm 9:50 pm
where were all you arm chair detectives 30 years ago,,,
Posted by: dave | November 24, 2011, 11:20 pm 11:20 pm
The question should be where were the real detectives 30 years ago. The lack of investigation and the police cover up of this death is outrageous.
Posted by: gregg | November 25, 2011, 12:02 am 12:02 am
I always thought her death never added up. Sorry to say, but Wagner is gonna have to pay a karmic debt for this one…and he thought he actually was going to get away with it….what a snake!
Posted by: Madalyn | November 25, 2011, 10:29 pm 10:29 pm
I just started reading on my Kindle the memoir, NATALIE, A MEMOIR BY HER SISTER, LANA WOOD. My parents were huge fans of Natalie Wood and I remember hearing about her tragic death when I was little. I know the facts are right because it’s coming from Natalie’s sister who lived those events with her, not some writer who came in after the fact. I really hope they solve what happened that night.
Posted by: Katie M | November 26, 2011, 1:28 pm 1:28 pm
I’m so glad so many people are concerned about Natalie. I want justice for her – she’s been my favorite actress/celeb since childhood and I’m outraged that this happened. Whatever happened on the boat – the REAL CRIME is that once in the water – no one saved her!!! They are all suspect for not doing something immediately. It’s so clear! Regardless, everyone involved will pay in one way or another for their lack of response.
Posted by: Dee | November 27, 2011, 3:25 am 3:25 am
Interesting article. It is extremely unfortunate that over the last decade, the travel industry has had to take on terrorism, SARS, tsunamis, bird flu virus, swine flu, as well as first ever true global economic depression. Through it all the industry has really proven to be effective, resilient and dynamic, acquiring new approaches to deal with hardship. There are constantly fresh issues and opportunity to which the industry must once again adapt and reply.
Posted by: Twana Welfel | January 12, 2012, 1:26 pm 1:26 pm