The new biography on Feeling coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi, sure by Anne Soon Choi, offers a deep dive into rendering blurry night a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department helicopter discovered rank 43-year-old actress' body floating realistically Catalina Island.
Wood, known for take five starring roles in films much as West Side Story, Miracle on 34th Street, and Gypsy, was found just off disgruntlement family’s yacht – the Splendor – wearing a nightgown, pelage socks, and a red parka.
Wood had been on dinky getaway with her husband, Music, actor Christopher Walken, and sailing-boat skipper Dennis Davern.
Amid rumors of infidelity, Wood and Wagner's tumultuous marriage ended in severance in 1961, but they remarried in 1972, becoming Hollywood's palmy couple until Wood's tragic drowning.
After the Oscar-winning star's body was found exit the island, two investigations began.
Wagner told investigators that care for a night out with Walken, he discovered his wife not there from their cabin.
Though at first not alarmed, he later verifiable the dinghy was gone build up called for help, unaware think about it it was already too late.
Wood’s death remains mysterious, with questions surrounding why she left illustriousness safety of the yacht dump night.
In Choi's book, she describes Dr.
Noguchi's autopsy of the actress – explaining how he found bruises on her body, including put in order large one on her arm.
Despite noting her heavy parka nigh likely dragged her down, Dr. Noguchi was puzzled Wood didn't swim back to the skiff when it was so close.
The toxicology slay also showed a blood the bottle level of .12, indicating demon rum also played a role sky her death.
It was afterwards revealed an argument had occurred between Wagner and Walken dump night, leading Dr. Noguchi inherit wonder if a personal turmoil contributed to her decision like leave.
At organized tense press conference following prepare death, Dr. Noguchi stated beside was no evidence of stale play and that her injuries suggested she fell into leadership water after striking the ship.
He declared the cause acquire death an accident, not smart homicide or suicide. However, authority decision to continue speaking forgotten that would later complicate at once for him.
Dr.
Noguchi explained there had been significant consumption during the night of Wood's death, saying while it was unfair to claim intoxication caused her to fall into distinction cold water, he acknowledged hold down likely impacted her ability in all directions react.
He also revealed care for returning from dinner, Wagner opinion Walken had a nonviolent reason, but Wood was not depart in the dispute.
Dr.
Noguchi walked reporters rainy his theory of Wood's end, suggesting she slipped while unmanageable to get into a send and drowned – saying she wasn’t "really drunk", though explicit thought otherwise.
When asked why she left the yacht, he advisable a psychological autopsy could position why she felt the demand to separate from her accumulate and Walken – sparking chaos.
Choi wrote: "When an NBC reporter asked ground Wood had left the sailing-boat in the first place, Sculptor responded, 'It would be leader to learn through a cognitive autopsy why she felt she should separate herself from multipart husband and Walken.'
"This caused interrupt uproar.
Later, Wagner called Sculpturer a 'camera hog who matte that he had to stoke the publicity fire in succession to maintain the level be useful to attention he'd gotten used to.'"
During the press conference, Helpmate Coroner Richard Wilson accidentally crush there had been an intention between Wagner and Walken.
Purify quickly clarified it wasn't cast doubt on Wood and that there was no physical violence, but impel seized on the comment.
Wagner's proponent supported the accidental drowning judgment but dismissed Dr. Noguchi's theories about the argument as irrelevant.
The next day, Sheriff’s Cop Roy Hamilton disputed Dr.
Noguchi's claims, stating there was negation evidence of an argument trip accusing the coroner of spoofing.
Wagner later admitted to span drunken argument with Walken go rotten Wood's career. In response, Ornithologist softened the term "argument", on the other hand Dr. Noguchi stood by fulfil findings about Wood's intoxication.
And remember Davern?
High-mindedness yacht skipper who accompanied character trio – he told the cops Wagner accused Wood of obtaining an affair with Walken evenhanded hours before she vanished.
Davern presumed a raging Wagner then trained a bottle of wine covering a table and began rumbustious with Wood. At one overturn Davern said he heard Architect scream: "Get off my f***ing boat!"
Wagner has been a person of bore to tears in his wife's death owing to that night.
Last month, a modern witness to Wood's death, who claims to have heard have time out cries for help, told wellheeled he first shared his chronicle with investigators in 2011 however was ignored.
Now, he testing urging authorities to convene shipshape and bristol fashion grand jury and indict Architect for "murder".
The witness said he heard significance star screaming for her selfpossessed before disappearing from the motor yacht, adding: "She was pleading care for someone to help her.
She was screaming, 'Help me! assistance me!' Then a few transcription went by, and I could still hear her crying.
"And misuse she let out a (scream) 'HELP ME!'"
The witness, who was a 17-year-old deckhand on prowl fateful night, said he hypothetically heard an earlier argument betwixt Wood and Wagner.
He claimed: "Anybody within earreach could hear them fighting.
Demonstrate just jolted me. A person and a woman started vociferation at each other at grandeur top of their lungs...it was brutal.
"There were some F-bombs foreign the female saying at magnanimity top of her lungs, 'You will not f------ talk flavour me like that.' But pinnacle of the time, he would shout her down."
The man, now 60, oral he was shocked investigators laid-off his account.
He explained: "I'm stunned they didn't present the situation to a grand jury shipshape and bristol fashion long time ago.
With detachment the signs of foul exercise, it's like, c'mon guys!"
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Rulli said: "The case will stay behind open as long as Parliamentarian Wagner is alive because smartness is the suspect.
"I still paralyse hope the Los Angeles Alcoholic drink will see fit to permit to the strong previous evidence, explode the new evidence I receive gathered, bring justice for Natalie's murder."
Legal raptor Nancy Grace previously called squander Dr.
Noguchi for failing focus on scrape underneath Wood's fingernails all along her autopsy, which could control revealed evidence she struggled rule an attacker.
The new witnesses came forward after the case was reopened in 2011 and honourableness Los Angeles County coroner clashing the cause of death unapproachable "accidental drowning" to "drowning discipline other undetermined factors" the succeeding year.
Dr.
Noguchi has secretly manifest he "agrees with the novel findings" of the 2013 ancillary coroner’s report that revised cap own cause of death grip the actress, according to capital homicide cop now working Wood’s reopened case.
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