The investigation into Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa‘s deaths remain active as officials determine how the couple died.
Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 64, were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Feb. 26 after two maintenance workers arrived and found the front door was open, the warrant stated. One of their three dogs was also found dead.
Their deaths were deemed suspicious enough for a “thorough search and investigation,” according to a search warrant obtained by NBC News.
In a press conference on Feb. 28, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that an autopsy was performed and both tested negative for carbon monoxide. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either of them. However, official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending.
Here’s what we know about Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths.
How were they found?
Investigators revealed more details into the investigation of the deaths of the Oscar-winning actor and classical pianist in the search warrant.
The pair were found in different rooms inside of their home after one of the maintenance workers contacted authorities around 1:43 p.m. on the afternoon of Feb. 26, when they found the front door of the residence open, according to the warrant.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, they found the front door ajar, the warrant says, but no signs of forced entry.
In a bathroom to the left of the front door, deputies found a woman’s body on the ground, which the maintenance workers identified as Arakawa, according to the warrant.
A black space heater was found near her head, as well as an orange prescription bottle and pills on the countertop, the warrant said. Mendoza declined to comment on what the pills were during the press conference.
Deputies also found a dead German shepherd about 10 to 15 feet away from the woman’s body in a closet of the bathroom, according to the warrant.
As deputies continued to search the home, they found a man’s body, which the maintenance workers identified as Hackman, on the ground in the mud room. (Investigators wrote in the warrant noted the man’s “true identity” is still unknown, pending further investigative research.) Both bodies showed signs of death and decomposition.
A deputy told investigators he suspected the man appeared to have suddenly fallen, the warrant said.
Two other dogs were found alive on the property: one near Arakawa’s body and the other outside of the residence, according to the warrant.
Mendoza said during the press conference the dogs had access to a dog door, so they were able to go in and out of the home. The dog that was found dead was in a kennel or a crate, Mendoza said.
How did Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa die?
How Hackman and Arakawa died remains unclear at the time as the investigation is active and ongoing.
As of Feb. 28, the cause of death has not been determined, but Mendoza said there are no signs of external trauma to either of them. The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department had previously said in a statement to NBC News that no foul play was suspected. However, Mendoza said investigators were “not ruling it out.”
It’s likely that Hackman’s “last day of life” was Feb. 17, according to Mendoza.
During the Feb. 28 press conference, he noted that a pathologist from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator told him Feb. 17 was the last day Hackman’s pacemaker recorded an “event.”
It should be noted that Hackman suffered from heart issues.
Mendoza previously said that he had been told the pair appeared to have been “deceased for quite a while.”
“It’s not normal to find two people deceased in residence,” Mendoza said on Feb. 27. “That’s concerning.”
At this time, it’s unknown when the cause and the manner of death will officially be determined, or when the toxicology results will come in. “It could be months or three months or longer,” Mendoza said, adding that several tests were submitted to be expedited.
Could they have died from carbon monoxide poisoning?
Deputies told investigators that the Santa Fe City Fire Department responded to the scene to conduct testing to determine if there were signs of a possible carbon monoxide leak. Firefighters did not locate signs of a leak or poisoning, according to the warrant.
The New Mexico Gas Company also responded to the scene, and no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated with the home’s pipes were found, according to the warrant.
While the official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending, Mendoza said on Feb. 28 that both individuals tested negative for carbon monoxide.
What else has the investigation discovered so far?
Deputies told investigators that after searching the rest of the property, all other buildings were locked and secured. There did not appear to be any signs of forced entry, or that anything was out of place or taken, deputies said.
The warrant requested to search for materials throughout the home that could assist with the determination and cause of death, as the investigators found the “circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
Mendoza said during the Feb. 28 press conference that according to the search warrant, two green cell phones, two bottles of medication, one bottle of over-the-counter Tylenol, medical records and a 2025 monthly planner calendar were secured from the residence for evidentiary purposes.
Investigators will now analyze the cell phone data, calls, texts, events and photos in the cell phones to piece together a timeline, he said.
