Marti Rulli - Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour

Marti Rulli with Dennis Davern

Foreword

This edition of Goodbye Natalie Goodbye Splendour (GNGS) contains an epilogue with important information that surfaced after its initial release in September 2009information that contributes to the controversial, convoluted mess that legendary actress Natalie Woods death case has evolved to.

In GNGS, you will learn how the former Splendour captain Dennis Davern came to know the Wagner family. You will realize the bond he established with the family as a trusted family friend, and, I hope, understand why he made the grave mistake of withholding vital information in an official death investigation. The word investigation is used loosely because the Wood case was not handled according to standard police procedure. Suspicious death scenes are required by law to be treated as crime scenes until proven otherwise, but Woods death scene was compromised in every way possible, and the weekend participants were treated with celebrity privilege. Thus, a scared and confused young captain did as he was toldhe stayedquiet.

In GNGS, Daverns account is told from the perspective of my personal involvement. Being the first person to learn that Natalies death involved many more detailsnefarious detailsthan ever told to authorities, I found myself in the same precarious position as my friend Dennis had been since witnessing the upsetting events that led to Woods death. Desperate to remain objective, I set out on a fact-finding mission while appreciating the emotional turmoil involved for all parties related to this tragic saga. To give Natalie Wood a modicum of justice accurately describes my initial intention, but as the facts keep pouring in, its clearly legal justice that Natalie deserves.

Although the L.A. County Sheriffs Department is hesitant to give the Wood case a second look, Natalie Woods sister, Lana Wood, has taken former Captain Dennis Daverns account seriously and has publicly stated she would like to see her sisters case reopened. Reaction from Woods family has been silence with the exception of Lana, who has publicly supported GNGS. Were sorry for your loss, Mr. Wagner, is not an investigation, Lana said on CBS Channel 2 L.A. News in March 2010.

Natalie Woods husband at the time of her death, actor Robert Wagner, and her costar in her last film, actor Christopher Walken, have refused for decades to discuss details of the 1981 fateful cruise, although it has been proven they lied to and withheld information from the authorities at the death scene. Prior to GNGSs release, Davern was pursued by the media for 28 years, yet ironically, after Davern passed a polygraph test that places Wagner with Wood when she went missing from their yacht, the greater media seems unable to handle the chilling truth. Wagners and Walkens public lies and interview contradictions have been allowed and accepted, threatening the very justice system we are expected to abide by.

Reader reaction to GNGS is evident in customer reviews, most expressing frustration for the way the Wood case was handled. Many readers have become emotionally as well as intellectually involved and have created private online chats, groups, blogs, and forums. Amazon GNGS reviews contain hundreds of controversial discussions. Continuing tabloid headlines include the word murder. True crime best-selling author Ann Rule recommends GNGS at her website.

Attorney Vincent DeLuca started an Internet petition where concerned citizens may leave a comment.

(http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/natalie-wood.html)

DeLuca is asking the L.A. County Sheriffs Department to investigate Woods death. The petition started after GNGSs release and with little formal publicity has collected nearly 500 signatures. DeLuca, dedicated to exposing the truth in the Wood case, filed for Coast Guard records of the November 1981 Splendour cruise, but despite the Freedom of Information Act and many other federal, state, and local right-to-know laws, he was told the files will remain sealed.

Investigative shows interested in GNGS included Larry King Live, Geraldo at Large, Extra, CBS Early Show, and Nancy Grace Cold Case. We taped with all but Larry King and Geraldo. Only Inside Edition aired segments of an interview with Davern and Lana Wood. Numerous radio show hosts have expressed deep concern over the controversial Wood case.

A Nancy Grace producer became interested in GNGS in March 2010 as CNN reported on the effort to get the Wood case reopened. The producer interviewed the former lead detective, Duane Rasure, who offered a startling, new, totally inaccurate claim that Ms. Wood had been celebrating having learned to swim the weekend of her death. Where this type information stems from three decades late is anyones guess.

Although attempts were made, not one media source has received a statement from Walken or Wagner. Only one person has the conscience and courage to tell the truth about Natalie Woods death: Dennis Davern. His account warrants an official reopening of the Natalie Wood case.

Marti Rulli

www.martirulli.blogspot.com

martirulli@gmail.com

PART ONE

The Call

And the dirt of gossip blows into my face,

And the dust of rumors covers me.

Bob Dylan (Restless Farewell)

Sunday, November 29, 1981

Just past dawn, off the coast of Santa Catalina Islands Blue Cavern Point, a search helicopter pilot noticed a small red bubble of color in the gray ocean, eerily conspicuous yet forlornly small, a silent signal to tragedy. The pilot swooped in for a closer look, then immediately radioed the sighting, ending a brief but grim search for the missing legendary film star Natalie Wood.

The chilly morning intensified the despair felt by those who had been looking for the forty-three-year-old actress, wife, and mother. Early risers amongst the holiday weekend boaters worried because helicopters normally did not hover above the coves and circle the moorings of the Island at this early hour. Natalie Woods husband, Robert Wagner, and their boat captain, Dennis Davern, had been waiting aboard the Wagners yacht, Splendour, for word from the search crews since 1:30 a.m. when Wagner had announced over Splendours radio, Someone is missing from our boat.

Splendour had been moored since Saturday afternoon at Two Harbors at Catalina Islands Isthmusthe quiet western part of the island where Dougs Harbor Reef was the lone restaurant. Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Dennis Davern, and Woods co-star, actor Christopher Walkenthe Wagners guest, on break from filming Brainstorm with Natalie Woodhad dined at the restaurant Saturday evening before returning to Splendour. Soon after donning her flannel nightgown and removing some of her jewelry, Natalie went missing, along with the Wagners thirteen-foot, motorized dinghy, Valiant.

Paul Miller, who would later draft a report on Woods death, was moored near Splendour. Don Whiting, the Harbor Reef restaurant manager, along with Miller, had heard Wagners vague distress call. Whiting returned the call and agreed to help with Wagners request for a low-key search. Whiting set out by boat with his friend, restaurant cook Bill Coleman, to look for Natalie.

An island campground worker, Paul Wintler, also picked up on the call, and cruised to