No Miracle for Natalie Woods off the Coast of Catalina

She may have starred in the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” but there was no miracle off the coast of Catalina. In November of 1981, Natalie was on a weekend boat trip to Santa Catalina Island on her husband Robert Wagner’s 58-foot motoryacht Splendour.

Authorities recovered her body at 8AM a mile away from the boat. Her cause of death was that she drowned, what is questioned today is how she got off the boat. Her body was found with bruises on her body, scratches down her side, and arms and an abrasion on her cheek. Her husband, Co-Star Christopher Walken, and the captain all say she disappeared that night.

Natalie’s sister claims that she would never go into water willingly as she was scared of water her whole life and couldn’t swim. Two witnesses on a boat nearby stated that they heard a woman scream for help overnight. 

In 2011, the case reopened when Davern, the captain, stated that he had to lie to investigators and that Wagner and Woods got into an argument that night because Woods was flirting with her co-star. Wagner prevented Davern from turning on the searchlights and notifying authorities of Wood’s disappearance. In February 2018, Wagner was named a person of interest in Wood's death. Officer Hernandez was unable to Charge Robert Wagner for Natalie’s cause of death and soon after retired.