Gene Hackman's cause of death not clear; deemed ‘suspicious’
UPDATE: Gene Hackman death deemed 'suspicious'
Officials have suggested that Gene Hackman's death, who was found dead in his New Mexico home this morning with both his wife and dog, may be suspicious, after investigators surveyed the area and bodies.
LOS ANGELES - The deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been ruled ‘suspicious,’ according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Variety.
Hackman, an Oscar-winning actor known for his performances in "The French Connection" and "Unforgiven," was found dead along with his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and their dog in their Santa Fe home, officials said. Hackman was 95 at the time of his death and his wife 63.
A worker reported that the home's front door was open when he arrived for routine maintenance and that he called police after finding the bodies. Two workers told police that they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks earlier.
In a 911 call, the maintenance worker said he was unable to get inside when the operator asked whether the people in the house were breathing.
"I have no idea," the subdivision’s caretaker said. "I am not inside the house. It’s closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in. But I can see she’s laying down on the floor from the window."
Listen: Emotional 911 caller reports death of Gene Hackman
Authorities in New Mexico have released a redacted audio recording of a 911 call received on Wednesday, February 26, in which the caller reported finding the bodies of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, inside their home outside Santa Fe. Courtesy Santa Fe County RECC via Storyful.
Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa: cause of death
What we know:
Authorities initially said there was no immediate indication of foul play, but no cause of death was provided. Now, their deaths are "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation," the affidavit, released by New Mexico authorities to Variety, said.
Hackman was found dead in a mudroom and his wife was found dead in a bathroom next to a space heater, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives wrote in a search warrant. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop near Arakawa.
Police said Arakawa showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet, according to FOX News. Hackman was said to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife.
A dead German shepherd was found in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police said. Two healthy dogs were found on the property.
What we don't know:
As of Thursday morning, no cause of death had been determined.
Results of autopsies conducted on both bodies are not available yet, sheriff’s officials said, noting that carbon monoxide and toxicology test results are pending.
The search warrant affidavit suggests that police appear to have a working theory that "some kind of gas poisoning" happened, but that they don't know yet and aren’t ruling anything out, Loyola Marymount University law professor Laurie Levenson said.
What they're saying:
"Affiant believes that the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak," the affidavit reads.
What is mummification?
According to a study published in the National Institutes of Health, the terms mummification and desiccation are sometimes used interchangeably. Presence of mummification interferes with assessment of possible injuries and pathological changes determining the cause and sometimes also the manner of death.
In another study, a dead body is considered to pass through several stages of decomposition – early decompositional changes, bloating, post-bloat, moist decomposition, and mummification – before the skeletonizing stage.
This means there is an accumulating decomposition, with mummification coming after moist decomposition. The decomposition process stops and the body mummifies, which happens when the body dries out, or desiccates.
No obvious signs of gas leak, anyone being shot
The New Mexico Gas Co. is working with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation, spokesperson Tim Korte told The Associated Press.
RELATED: Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa found dead in Santa Fe home: What we know
The utility tested the gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to the warrant. At the time, it didn't find any signs of problems. A detective noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide may not show signs of poisoning, but also noted there were no obvious signs of a gas leak.
Gene Hackman dead at 95
Gene Hackman, the prolific Oscar-winning actor whose studied portraits ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains and made him one of the industry’s most respected and honored performers, has been found dead along with his wife at their home. He was 95.
Denise Avila, a sheriff's office spokesperson, said there was no indication that any of them had been shot or had other types of wounds.
The sheriff said they could have been victims of a double homicide, suicide, accidental death or natural causes.
Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa found dead
The backstory:
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's office confirmed the death to FOX News Digital early on Thursday morning.
"On February 26, 2025, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased," the statement said.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza originally told the Santa Fe New Mexican that at the time of the initial report they were conducting a preliminary death investigation.
"All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant," the sheriff said Wednesday evening, before his agency had positively identified the pair.
Gene Hackman's life and career
Dig deeper:
Hackmnan’s dozens of films included Oscar-winning roles in "The French Connection" and "Unforgiven," a breakout performance in "Bonnie and Clyde," a comic interlude in "Young Frankenstein," a turn as the comic book villain Lex Luthor in "Superman" and the title character in Wes Anderson’s 2001 "The Royal Tenenbaums."
He seemed capable of any kind of role — whether an uptight buffoon in "Birdcage," a college coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite "Hoosiers" or a secretive surveillance expert in Francis Ford Coppola’s Watergate-era release "The Conversation."
He was an early retiree — essentially done, by choice, with movies by his 70s — and a late bloomer. Hackman was in his mid-30s when cast for "Bonnie and Clyde" and past 40 when he won his first Oscar, as the rules-bending New York detective "Popeye" Doyle in the 1971 thriller about tracking down Manhattan drug smugglers, "The French Connection."
His death comes just four days before this year’s Oscars ceremony.