Santa Fe County officials will update the public Friday about the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
Officials with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, fire department and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will host a press briefing at 1 p.m. PT with updates about their latest findings.
Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were likely dead for several days when their bodies were discovered at their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26. Hackman’s pacemaker was active until Feb. 17, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.
The details surrounding the deaths of Hackman, Arakawa and their dog remain a mystery. Investigators have ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning, and the gas company determined there were no major issues with any of the gas lines at the home.
Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies responded to the home and discovered Arakawa’s body in a bathroom with prescription pills scattered on a counter top nearby. Hackman’s body was found in a separate room, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court. Both bodies showed signs that they had fallen down abruptly and were partially decomposed, with bloating in the face and mummification in the hands and feet.
Authorities found no signs of forced entry at the property, or blunt force trauma on the couple’s bodies.
While one of the couple’s dogs was found dead in a closet near Arakawa’s body, two other dogs found on the property were able to enter and exit the home through a door at the rear of the residence, according to Mendoza.
The couple were discovered by maintenance workers at the Santa Fe Summit housing community where Hackman and Arakawa led private lives, authorities said. They told investigators they had not spoken to the couple in more than two weeks.
A full toxicology screen could take months, Mendoza told the “Today” show, but the medical examiner has ordered several tests to be expedited.
Another challenge for investigators is building a timeline — when were they last seen alive, who spoke to them last, etc. — for a couple Mendoza described as “private individuals.” There were no security cameras on the property.
On Sunday, Hackman was memorialized at the Academy Awards ceremony by actor Morgan Freeman. The two co-starred in the films “Unforgiven” and “Under Suspicion.”
“Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer whose gifts elevated everyone’s work,” Freeman said. “He received two Oscars but more importantly he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world.”
“Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work.’ I think I speak for us all when I say, ‘Gene, you will be remembered for that, and so much more.’ Rest in peace, my friend,” Freeman said.