Natalie Wood — Death Threat For Woman Who Heard Final Screams

Natalie disappeared from the yacht Splendour on the night of November 28, 1981 — with her body found in the water at 8 a.m. the next day. The original autopsy concluded that the actress, with alcohol in her system, had drowned while attempting to take a dinghy to shore — with her husband Robert Wagner admitting that the Hollywood couple had argued earlier while entertaining actor Christopher Walken.

But stockbroker Marilyn Wayne — who was moored just 50 feet from the Splendour that night — gave the police a statement that she'd heard Natalie's cries for help that night: "A woman’s voice, crying for help from drowning awakened [her male companion], and he awakened me. 'Help me, someone please help me, I’m drowning,' we heard repeatedly."

"Alarmed," Marilyn continued, "I called out to my son, who also heard the cries, and looked at his new digital watch: it was just minutes after 11:00 p.m." She claims they called the harbor patrol, who said they'd send a helicopter — with her tale taking a chilling twist.

"Then," Marilyn told police, "a man's voice slurred, and in aggravated tone, say something to the effect of, 'Oh, hold on, we’re coming to get you,' and not long after, the cries for help subsided, but we heard the cries for up to 15 minutes."

Tragically, Marilyn's story is backed up by the lifeguard who discovered Natalie's body in the waters off Catalina Island. Cpt. Roger Smith told the Los Angeles Times that Natalie “probably cried for help for hours...Her fingers were still pliable when she was pulled from the water, suggesting she had not been dead for hours.”

Marilyn's statement also suggested another reason for the original stalled investigation — claiming she'd received a death threat after first approaching the police: "I had a 'client box' designed for clients to drop off their messages through a slot in the front...Three days after Natalie died, I found a scribbled message on a torn piece of paper in my box that read, 'If you value your life, keep quiet about what you know.'"

"I immediately suspected it was related to Natalie Wood’s death," Marilyn told the police, "because that’s all anyone had been talking about. I was disturbed, and even told an attorney about the threat." Two other witnesses who went to the police were also fearing for their lives — as revealed by a National ENQUIRER police source demanding their anonymity!

The secret witnesses had talked to police in 1981, having been on their boat not far from where the Splendour had moored off Catalina Island. "They've told cops they heard the sounds of an argument, followed by the screams of a woman in the dark as she floated out to sea," said the police insider.

"It went on for about 20 minutes before Natalie apparently drifted out of earshot," added the source — who said that the two had been originally afraid to come forward the day after hearing the cries for help. The witnesses admitted that they had seen Wagner and Christopher Walken leaving the island in a helicopter, and were convinced that "a cover-up" was taking place!