Gene Hackman & Wife's Deaths: Investigators to Provide Update

The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office will hold a news conference to provide updates on the investigation into the deaths of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his pianist wife, Betsy Arakawa. The conference is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. MT (4 p.m. ET) and will include officials from various agencies, including the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, the New Mexico Department of Health, and Santa Fe City Fire Department.

The bodies of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were discovered on February 26 in separate rooms of their 9,000-square-foot Santa Fe residence. A maintenance worker made the grim discovery, leading to a police investigation.

The Discovery

Hackman was found collapsed in a mudroom, while Arakawa was found in a bathroom with an open prescription pill bottle and scattered pills on the counter. Tragically, one of their dogs was also found deceased in a closet near Arakawa's bathroom.

Unanswered Questions

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has classified the deaths as “suspicious,” but stated that there are no apparent signs of foul play or external trauma on the bodies. Further investigations, including tests for carbon monoxide poisoning, revealed no significant findings of gas leaks in the home according to the New Mexico Gas Co.

Timeline of Events

Sheriff Adan Mendoza has indicated that the couple may have been deceased for several days or even weeks before their bodies were found. Based on Hackman's pacemaker records, it is believed he died on February 17, marking the last recorded "event" by the device.

Discrepancies and Additional Details

Initially, officials reported that the deceased dog was a German Shepherd. However, Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility involved in the surviving dogs' care, clarified to The Associated Press that the dog was actually their Australian Kelpie mix named Joey. According to the search warrant affidavit, two other dogs were found alive on the property.