TRACK 35

Interviewer: Good morning and thank you for coming, Mr. Ryan - or should it be

Detective Ryan -you were a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, weren’t
you?

Detective Ryan: Yes, that's right. For twenty-five years. I retired last year.

Interviewer: People today are still fascinated by Natalie Wood’s death even though it
was more than 30 years ago. That’s incredible, isn’t it?

Detective Ryan: Well, it’s not really that surprising. People are always interested in
unsolved mysteries - and Natalie Wood was a well-know and talented actress.

Interviewer: Now, to be clear, none of the people on the boat the night Ms. Wood died
were or are suspects. But - can you telI us who was on the boat that night?

Detective Ryan: That is correct - none of them were or are suspects. But in order to get a
better understanding about what happened that night, it is important to know who was on
the boat. So, the people were her husband, movie and TV actor Robert Wagner; her
friend and movie actor Christopher Walken; and the captain of the boat, Dennis Davern

TRACK 36

Interviewer: Recently, the LA County Coroner’s Office re-examined Ms. Wood’s cause
of death because of some new information about the bruises and scratches that were
found on her body the night she died.

Detective Ryan: Yes, that’s correct. This new information suggests that Ms. Wood may
have been hit or beaten right before she died. And the Coroner changed Ms. Wood’s
original cause of death from “accidental drowning” to “drowning and other undetermined
factors.”
Interviewer: So what does this mean for the other people on the boat?

Detective Ryan: Officially, it doesn’t mean anything for them. They still aren’t suspects.

Interviewer: And you don’t think they’re suspects, do you?

Detective Ryan: No, I don’t. I don’t think any of them can be considered suspects
without some kind of convincing evidence.

Interviewer: What about Robert Wagner? There are reports that he was jealous of his
wife’s friendship with Mr. Walken.

Detective Ryan: Well, yes, Mr. Wagner wrote in his book Pieces of My Heart that he
was jealous of the relationship, and that he and Mr. Walken argued that night on the boat.
But that doesn’t make him a suspect.

Interviewer: And Christopher Walken, Ms. Wood’s friend and co-star?

Detective Ryan: Mr. Walken has remained mostly silent about what happened that night,
but he has talked to the police.

Interviewer: The boat captain changed his story about what happened that night, didn’t
he?That he originally lied to police the night Natalie died.

Detective Ryan: Yes. Mr. Davern told a TV news program that he lied about the events
of that night. He now says that Mr. Wagner and Ms. Wood had an argument, and that Ms.
Wood went missing shortly after. Mr. Davern also claims that Mr. Wagner delayed
contacting the police, implying that Mr. Wagner was responsible for Ms. Wood’s death.

Interviewer: Do you believe the captain's new story?

Detective Ryan: Well, no. I think the timing of his new story is suspicious since he
released it so close to the thirty-year anniversary of her death. I think lie was looking to
make some money by bringing this sad story hack into the news.

Interviewer: So, what do you think happened that night?

Detective Ryan: I can't tell you because I don’t know.

Interviewer: So you don’t think we’ll ever solve the mystery?

Detective Ryan: No, I wouldn’t say that. I think one day the mystery will be solved.
Some new evidence will appear and we’ll be able to say that Natalie Wood’s mysterious
death is finally solved. But right now, it’s still a mystery, and people like a good mystery.