The deaths of award-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog are still clouded in uncertainty.
After Sante Fe County Sheriff’s deputies found the couple and their dog dead at their New Mexico home on Wednesday, authorities are still investigating the cause, which at this point is still considered “suspicious.” Details continue to emerge, including a search warrant affidavit report that Arakawa’s body was found partially mummified and that multiple dogs were found alive, with more to follow in the coming weeks.
More information about the timeline of their deaths is also coming to light. “Just based on their body and other evidence on the body, it appears several days and possibly even up to a couple weeks” had passed since their deaths, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza told the “Today” show Friday, acknowledging the “challenge” of crafting a timeline as Hackman and Arakawa were “private individuals and a private family.”
There was no “indication that anybody was moving about the house or doing anything different, so it’s very hard to determine” if the couple died at different times or together, Mendoza said, but maintained he’s “pretty confident that there’s no foul play” involved, though police are “not ruling that out.”
“The autopsy report will be key to the investigation,” Mendoza said.
The Santa Fe Country Sheriff’s Office is also slated to provided updates at a press conference Friday afternoon.
As the mystery continues to swirl around Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths, here’s what we know.
Body of Gene Hackman’s wife found partially mummified
Authorities found the actor, 95, in a mudroom near his cane, appearing to have fallen, while wife Arakawa, 64, was found in an open bathroom near a space heater, according to the warrant.
An open prescription bottle and pills were scattered on the nearby countertop, the warrant says. Mendoza told “Today” that the pills were “very important evidence at the scene,” but said a toxicology report could take up to three months or longer.
A deputy observed Arakawa with “body decomposition, bloating in her face” and mummification of her hands and feet.
What is mummification?
Mummification is the intentional or accidental preservation of a body after death. In a forensic context, mummification occurs when a dead body dries out instead of decomposing as normal, due to a warm, dry and well-ventilated environment, according to the National Library of Medicine. The skin and soft tissues stiffen or harden, and can begin within days.
Gene Hackman’s dog found dead, 2 more found alive
One of the couple’s German shepherds was found dead less than 15 feet from Arakawa in a closet, while their other two dogs were found alive in the bathroom near Arakawa and outside.
According to his author page on Simon & Schuster’s website, the actor had two German shepherds. The “Superman” star wrote two novels and co-authored three more.
Hackman “had a soft heart for animals,” PETA senior vice president Lisa Lange said in a statement Thursday.
How did Gene Hackman die?
New Mexico officials have yet to determine the cause of Hackman, Arakawa and their dog’s deaths.
The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator told USA TODAY Thursday that its autopsy, toxicology and postmortem exam reports – which includes the cause of death – could take anywhere from four to six weeks.
Did Gene Hackman, wife die from carbon monoxide poisoning?
Santa Fe’s fire chief Brian Moya told the “Today” show Friday that investigators at the scene didn’t determine any gas leaks or possible carbon monoxide poisoning, but he acknowledged “it possibly could” have been carbon monoxide that led to Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths.
The New Mexico Gas Co. investigated the residence, the warrant says, but “as of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence.” A spokesperson for the New Mexico Gas Co. confirmed to USA TODAY that they “provide natural gas service at the address” and “are assisting the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department, which is leading an investigation.”
Search warrant affidavit paints grim picture of ‘suspicious’ Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa deaths
In the search warrant affidavit filing, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Roy Arndt says the couple were found in different rooms in their sprawling Santa Fe home, where the two-time Oscar winner retreated to for a lowkey life after leaving Hollywood.
According to investigators, the scene was “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” after several things were found at the scene, including the front door open and unlocked, a healthy dog “running loose on the property,” another “healthy dog” found near Arakawa and the dead dog and moved heater found near the actor’s wife.
They also cited an open pill bottle and scattered prescription pills next to Arakawa as well as no obvious signs of a gas leak and Hackman being in a different room than his wife.
Gene Hackman 911 call release
According to a 911 call recording obtained by TMZ and Storyful, an unidentified caller is heard coordinating with police on having authorities sent to Hackman and Arakawa’s New Mexico residence.
The individual, who disclosed they’re the caretaker of the subdivision where the couple lived, was unable to identify Hackman and Arakawa’s ages or genders to police.
Who was Gene Hackman?
An intense character actor who won two Oscars in a more than 60-year career, Hackman brought a rogue charm and everyman believability to iconic roles such as his best acting-winning performance as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in “The French Connection.”
Multi-talented actor and novelist Hackman infused humanity and his trademark laugh into even his villain roles, a particular specialty in his four-decade film career, winning the Oscar for best actor for “The French Connection” in 1972 and again for best supporting actor in 1993 for his loathsome sheriff in the Clint Eastwood-directed “Unforgiven.”
Which movies did Gene Hackman star in?
Hackman commanded the screen throughout his career, crafting characters that leapt off the screen, from the gleefully meglomanic Lex Luthor in the “Superman” franchise, his nuke-happy submarine commander in 1995’s “Crimson Tide,” his conniving secretary of defense in 1987’s “No Way Out,” a deadly corporate lawyer in “The Firm” his sleazy B-movie director in 1995’s “Get Shorty” and as estranged patriarch Royal Tenenbaum in Wes Anderson’s 2001 comedy “The Royal Tenenbaums.”
Gene Hackman’s health
Hackman, who was largely out of the spotlight in the last two decades, underwent an angioplasty procedure in 1990 after a spell of angina. According to the Mayo Clinic, angina is chest pain that occurs when blood flow to the heart is restricted.
In 2012, the Academy Award winner was hit by a pickup truck while riding his bike. Hackman’s publicist told CNN at the time that the accident wasn’t serious, “just a few bumps and bruises.”
Contributing: Anika Reed, Bryan Alexander, Edward Segarra, Jay Stahl, USA TODAY
