Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead Wednesday in their New Mexico home, along with their dog, in circumstances officials deemed “suspicious enough” to warrant thorough investigation.
The causes of death are not yet known. The pair did not show any external trauma, and there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to preliminary autopsies and officials. There were also no immediate signs of a carbon monoxide or natural gas leak, authorities said.
The couple’s bodies were found in separate rooms in their Santa Fe house, with scattered pills found next to Arakawa, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators have not yet determined whether Hackman and Arakawa died at the same time, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told NBC’s “Today Show” on Friday morning, but they both likely had been dead for some time before they were discovered.
“It appears (to be) several days, possibly even up to a couple of weeks,” Mendoza said.
Hackman, 95, was an Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in films such as “The French Connection,” “Hoosiers, “Unforgiven” and “The Firm.” Arakawa, three decades Hackman’s junior, was a classical pianist.
Here is what we know about their deaths.
911 caller saw Hackman and Arakawa lying on the floor through window
Hackman’s and Arakawa’s bodies were discovered by maintenance workers at the home just before 2 p.m. local time Wednesday, the sheriff’s office affidavit for a search warrant obtained by CNN affiliate KOAT states.
A caller told 911 they could see two unconscious people through a window but could not enter the home, according to the call obtained by CNN.
“No, dude, they’re not moving. Just send somebody out here really quick,” the caller said.
Police responded to the call and discovered Arakawa’s body on the ground inside a bathroom next to an orange prescription pill bottle with scattered pills on the floor, the affidavit says.
The body “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mumification (sic) in both hands and feet,” the affidavit states.
The condition of the extremities described in the report is somewhat uncommon, according to a forensic scientist.
“Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a very arid environment, and you only get mummification most of the time in very arid environments where you’re absent any kind of significant humidity,” Joseph Scott Morgan, a professor at Jacksonville State University, told CNN’s Omar Jimenez.
Law enforcement officials talk Thursday outside the home of actor Gene Hackman in Santa Fe, New Mexico. – Roberto Rosales/AP
Hackman’s body was then found on the ground near the kitchen in a similar condition, with a walking cane and sunglasses next to the body. The deputy suspected he had suddenly fallen, the affidavit says.
A German shepherd dog was also found dead in the bathroom. The dog was in a crate, police have clarified; the affidavit says the dog was in a closet. Two healthy dogs were found on the property.
The couple had been deceased for quite a while, Mendoza told reporters Thursday. The maintenance workers told police they had not been in touch with the homeowners for two weeks, the affidavit says.
Hackman and Arakawa moved to the Santa Fe area more than a decade before he effectively retired from acting at age 74. “It had a kind of magic in it,” he told Architectural Digest in 1990.
The home where they were found is in a gated community at the end of a long, curving driveway. It was a fitting home for the reclusive star, featuring expansive views of nearby mountains but secluded enough to be largely out of the range of cell phone service.
Deaths ‘suspicious enough’ to warrant thorough investigation
The cause of the couple’s deaths is under investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals (are considered) to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” a sheriff’s deputy said, according to the affidavit.
“I think I’m pretty confident that there is no foul play just based on the lack of evidence of foul play,” Mendoza told NBC on Friday. “Of course, we’re not ruling that out.”
Fire officials called to the scene “did not locate signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning,” and a gas company crew conducting tests of gas lines in and around the home did not immediately identify any problems, the affidavit says.
Santa Fe County Sheriff deputies arrive Thursday at the Santa Fe Summit gated community where actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead. – Roberto E. Rosales/AP
Toxicology reports could take months
Official autopsy and toxicology reports are pending, and carbon monoxide and toxicology tests have been requested for Hackman and Arakawa, according to the sheriff’s office.
Medical examiner’s reports with a final cause of death usually take four to six weeks to complete, state Office of the Medical Investigator spokesperson Chris Ramirez said.
However, the toxicology report could take three months or longer to complete, depending on the laboratory’s workload, Mendoza told NBC.
The actor’s family is “devastated by the loss,” Hackman’s daughters and granddaughter said in a statement.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” the statement said. “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely.”
Hackman will be honored at Sunday’s Academy Awards
News of Hackman’s death comes just days before this weekend’s Academy Awards.
The actor will be honored at Sunday’s ceremony, a source familiar with behind-the-scenes planning at the Oscars told CNN. Details are not locked in, but it’s possible the “In Memoriam” montage may be edited to include Hackman’s contributions to cinema, the source said.
Another possibility is a scripted mention of Hackman’s death from the awards show stage, perhaps by host Conan O’Brien or another entertainer.
In his five-decade career, Hackman won two Oscars and was nominated for five. He won for his portrayal in 1971’s “The French Connection” of New York cop Popeye Doyle, a detective who gets his man but at a high cost. He won his second Oscar for his performance as Little Bill Daggett, the violent sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 film, “Unforgiven.”
Todd Leopold, CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.
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