More details are emerging about the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, including insights from the early autopsy reports. Here's what we know so far, straight from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office.
Hackman's pacemaker logged its last event on Feb. 17 — around 10 days before deputies discovered the couple's bodies inside their sprawling New Mexico estate. Sheriff Adan Mendoza believes that's the day Hackman, 95, died, which would explain why the initial search warrant described the state of one of the bodies as exhibiting "mummification in both hands and feet."
Investigators seized prescription drugs, including thyroid and high blood pressure medications. Betsy, 63, was discovered in a bathroom, an open bottle nearby, with scattered pills on the countertop. They also collected cellphones, a day planner, and medical records as part of the ongoing investigation.
Early speculation pointed to carbon monoxide poisoning — even Hackman's family voiced concerns. But the sheriff's office says expedited autopsy results ruled that out.
There's no security footage showing anyone coming or going, but Hackman lived in a gated community where all visitors were logged. The sheriff said investigators could follow up on those records if necessary.
As for the cause of death, the complete autopsy and toxicology results could take months, according to Sheriff Mendoza.
While he says that there were no apparent signs of foul play — no crime scene, no suicide note — detectives still called the deaths "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation," and the sheriff stressed that it remains an active investigation.
But a big questions remains: How did more than a week pass before anyone in Hackman's inner circle realized he and his wife were dead?
It was a subdivision caretaker who first sounded the alarm. On the afternoon of Feb. 26, he spotted the unresponsive couple through a window and called 911.
Jason Mattera is a New York Times bestselling author and an Emmy-nominated crime correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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