Hmmmmmm?
Posted on 02/28/2025 4:09:58 PM PST by nickcarraway
The couple was found during a welfare check with no signs of how they died.
Actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, both tested negative for carbon monoxide, authorities revealed Friday, amid an investigation after they were both mysteriously found dead alongside one of their dogs at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office Adan Mendoza said he believes that carbon monoxide is ruled out as a possible cause of death.
Hackman is believed to have died on Feb. 17, Mendoza also said Friday, noting that was the date of the last recorded "event" on his pacemaker.
A cause and manner of death remain pending, he said. Investigators are still awaiting full autopsy results and toxicology reports, he said.
The couple was found on Wednesday during a welfare check with no obvious signs of how they died, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.
However, their deaths were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation" due to all of the "circumstances surrounding" the scene, according to the search warrant affidavit.
There was no external trauma to either of them which led officials to conduct testing for carbon monoxide and toxicology with the official results pending, the sheriff's office said.
In a Thursday search of the couple's home, investigators recovered two cellphones, thyroid medication, blood pressure medication, Tylenol, a 2025 monthly planner and health records, court records show.
Hackman was discovered on the floor in the mud room, according to the search warrant. It appeared he fell suddenly, and he and his wife "showed obvious signs of death," the document said.
Arakawa was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom, with a space heater near her body, according to the search warrant, and her body showed signs of decomposition due to some mummification to her hands and feet.
On the counter near Arakawa was an opened prescription bottle, with pills scattered, according to the search warrant.
A German shepherd was found dead about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa, the document said. That dog was in a crate or a kennel, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. Two other dogs owned by the couple survived, though officials said both had access to a doggy door.
The Santa Fe City Fire Department found no signs of a possible carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, the document said. But, if there was carbon monoxide at the scene, it could have vented out of the home through the open front door before responders arrived.
New Mexico Gas Company also responded, "As of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence," the document said.
Two maintenance workers said they hadn't heard from Hackman and Arakawa in about two weeks, the document said.
A maintenance worker who initially responded to the home found the front door open but there were no signs of forced entry or that anything had been stolen, the document said.
There was no indication of a crime and "there could be a multitude of reasons why the door was open," the sheriff told reporters Thursday.
There was "no obvious sign or indication of foul play," but authorities "haven't ruled that out yet," the sheriff said.
Investigators are "keeping everything on the table," he added.
My brother and his family moved in with Mom when she turned 90. (Thank God for that, and his angel wife!)
Still, my sister and I continued to check on Mom on alternate days just for extra assurance. That also served to check on my brother’s family. I can’t even imagine going weeks without knowing.
(Of course, his children must be pretty old, too, and perhaps they weren’t able.)
Sadly not all adult children are on good terms with their parents.
That does make sense. I read about how tile/bare flooring can act like a heat sink thus killing you.
I have the beat up old car, the mutt by my side, the cigars, and the wrinkled clothes.
Lol.
I had a Peugeot.
Again, the dog was in a closet, not a kennel.
‘ I had a Peugeot.’
Lost a bet?
My mother is 87 and in a nursing home for memory care. She only remembers my younger sister these days, and she goes to check on mom every day. She says physically she's doing fine but her mind continues to digress. But all us kids are happy to see that she's being checked on and cared for.
My daughter is invested in how I'm doing, what my future plans are, etc. So she's always looking out for me.
Geez, this is so sad - especially that he may have lain there for up to two weeks.
We check on our elderly relatives daily, take turns calling them - takes a few minutes and we have peace of mind.
Ain't it the truth! If I can find a liquid form of a medication, that's what my hounds get, squirted down their gullet. The peanut butter trick doesn't work with these clever mutts.
My guess from the git go, was Mr. Hackman dropped DRT, his wife broke out the pills at the loss, took an overdose. A tragic ending to a long love story.
Hmmmmmm?
Yep.
Hackman died of natural causes. Wife, distraught, either killed herself with pills or keeled over from shock. Caged dog died without food or water. Other two dogs who were free scavenged.
It seems this has been revisited.
Gene Hackman's death: Police await autopsy results for famous couple but rule out carbon monoxide poisoning"According to a search warrant affidavit, deputies found the deceased dog “in a closet of the bathroom” that was 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa, the classical pianist who married Hackman in 1991. However, Mendoza clarified to ABC News that the dog was in a dog crate or kennel, not a closet."
Yeah, that’s possible too. Also the house door was closed and the house door was open. The whole reporting is contradictory.
My dad puts one of his dogs in a kennel/cage at night. So the dog being in the kennel makes sense.
My take on the dog closed in a closet/kennel. It was a German Shepherd, and probably trained for security purposes due to their age and remote location.
We have a seven pound Biewer Yorkie and when someone comes he can become noisy and aggressive, the first thing we do when we are expecting someone is put him in his crate. I think that is a big clue, they were expecting someone.
I think you solved the mystery. Your explanation makes sense and gets my vote.
Fully reclining bucket seats that turn into a cozy French bedroom after dark...
“A 95 year old Dad that you don’t talk to for months?”
Sad. Sounds like they were estranged and never made up. So very sad.
‘ Fully reclining bucket seats that turn into a cozy French bedroom after dark...’
Ah. Understood.
My first car was a 4 door 72 Chevy impala with bench seats.
Seats did not recline, but it was like a bedroom that slept 3.
I will stop there.
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