Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home. The cause remains unclear, but carbon monoxide has been ruled out. The investigation continues.
Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead Wednesday in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the United States. The circumstances of the tragedy are still unclear, but authorities have said they are “suspicious enough” to conduct a thorough investigation.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the 95-year-old actor died around February 17, the date his pacemaker registered its last activity. “That’s a very good guess,” he said at a news conference. His body was found clothed and wearing sunglasses nearby, in a room adjacent to the bathroom where the body of Betsy Arakawa, 63, lay.
Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa had likely been dead “for several days,” possibly “weeks,” when their bodies were found in their home by a maintenance worker, the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office said.
“Based on their bodies and other evidence on the body, it appears that they had been deceased for several days, if not weeks,” he said on the American morning television show Today on Friday, according to comments reported by the New York Post.
“Very difficult to establish a chronology”
“It’s very difficult to establish a timeline, even with the help of the medical examiner’s office,” Mendoza added on the NBC show.
Carbon monoxide track ruled out
Pills scattered near her and a space heater next to her head raise questions, especially since her body was already in an advanced state of decomposition. A dog belonging to the couple was also found dead at the scene.
Initial tests have ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning, a hypothesis initially put forward by the couple’s daughter. “No trauma” was found on the remains, the sheriff said, adding that an accidental fall would have left visible traces. The toxicological analysis and the full results of the autopsy, expected in several weeks, should provide some answers. In the meantime, all theories remain open according to investigators.
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