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Robert Wagner, Detroit Native, Implicated In Natalie Wood's Death

By Christy Strawser
CBS Detroit Managing Editor
The captain piloting the boat the night movie star Natalie Wood died has suddenly implicated Robert Wagner, the son of a Detroit steel executive, in her death.

Los Angeles police are expected to announce Friday the investigation into Wood's death is being re-examined based on "new recollections."

Captain Dennis Davern, the man guiding the boat when Wood mysteriously went overboard and drowned in 1981 has come forward to say Wagner, now 81, was "responsible" for her death. The story came to light when Davern was recently interviewed for a collaboration between Vanity Fair magazine and "48 Hours Mystery" that focuses on the 30th anniversary of Wood's death.

The "48 Hours" episode airs at 10 p.m. Saturday, November 19, on CBS.

Wagner, who moved from Detroit to Los Angeles when he was 7 years old, was on the boat with Wood, actor Christoper Walken, and the ship's captain when his wife went overboard and died. Reports have said the couple was loudly arguing shortly before Wood disappeared into the water.

Officials at the time ruled her death an accident, with many speculating she slipped and hit her head whe trying to retie a dingy to the side of the boat. She was wearing a hooded parka over pajamas.

A periodic star of movies, Wagner is probably best remembered for his role in the 1970s TV series "Hart to Hart." He had a resurgance in the Austin Powers series, where he played Dr. Evil's henchman "Number Two."

"I have gone over it so many millions of times with people. Nobody heard anything," Wagner told The Los Angeles Times in 2008 about Wood's death.

The actor released a statement Thursday night, according to CBS Los Angeles that said, "Although no one in the Wagner family has heard from the LA County Sheriff's department about this matter, they fully support the efforts of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and trust they will evaluate whether any new information relating to the death of Natalie Wood Wagner is valid, and that it comes from a credible source or sources other than those simply trying to profit from the 30-year anniversary of her tragic death."

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