Gene Hackman, wife found dead in Santa Fe home

Guy54435

Legendary actor, two-time Oscar winner and author Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, were found dead Wednesday afternoon in their home in the Santa Fe Summit community northeast of the city. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed just after midnight Thursday the couple had died, along with their dog. Mendoza said in an interview Wednesday evening there was no immediate indication of foul play. He did not provide a cause of death or say when the couple might have died. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/actor-gene-hackman-wife-dog-084910771.html

Rock_cake

No foul play? and the dog too...how bizarre. What, all three have heart attacks? What are the odds. I'm thinking carbon monoxide? Radon?

The French Connection, Bonnie and Clyde, Unforgiven, Superman, The Quick and the Dead, Hoosiers....lotta good stuff in there. RIP (All of them) 🙁

MomOfARocker

Rock_cake Apparently two of their dogs did not die. The one that died was in a kennel within the home. Thinking the two that lived must have had access to some food and the one in the kennel did not? I guess time will tell. On the news they also mentioned the bodies had started to decompose and said something about mummification, not sure what that might mean. I've never heard that before and I worked for criminal lawyers for years and don't recall ever having heard anything about a homicide or death that involved mummification. The situation is an ongoing investigation so it will be interesting to see what they can discover. Very sad regardless of what happened.

px_eliezer_

Rock_cake No foul play?

The County Sheriff out there said "no fowl play" at his news conference (meaning that no bird flu was found on the property).

The local reporters heard that as "no foul play" and transcribed it accordingly.

Just a wrong turn at Albuquerque. 🙂

Astyanax

All three bodies were found dead together. Hmmm....

Legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman has been found dead in his Santa Fe, New Mexico, home alongside his wife and their dog, according to reports.

https://nypost.com/2025/02/27/entertainment/gene-hackman-and-wife-betsy-found-dead-in-new-mexico-home-police/

RIP Lex Luthor. ☹️

Adalicia

Astyanax
Carbon monoxide poisoning maybe?

px_eliezer_

Adalicia

CO possibility is being looked at apparently.

This being winter (and it does get pretty cold in the nights in Santa Fe) so their heat would be on, plus the younger wife dead as well, and the dog too---

telcodad

Adalicia Carbon monoxide poisoning maybe?

That seems to be the most likely cause at this time:

Gene Hackman’s daughter suspects he and wife died of carbon monoxide poisoning
https://nypost.com/2025/02/27/us-news/gene-hackmans-daughter-suspects-he-and-wife-died-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning/

The daughter of beloved actor Gene Hackman says he and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning — as authorities said the couple and their dog were dead for at least a day before their bodies were found.

After their bodies were found, authorities applied for a warrant to conduct a search and called in the fire department and gas company to ensure the house was safe to search.

The authorities wouldn't have "called in the fire department and gas company" to make sure the house was safe to search if it was an apparent murder/suicide.

Somewhat-Reticent

Even without carbon monoxide, oxygen deprivation can be lethal. Speculation at this point.

Guy54435

He was also in the Marines
Military Service
Allegiance United States
Branch U.S. Marine Corps
Service years 1946–1951
Rank Private first class
Operations:
Operation Beleaguer
Occupation of Japan
Awards:
National Defense Service Medal
China Service Medal
Navy Occupation Service Medal

sempergoofy

Interesting that CO poisoning might be a cause. From what I read in the AP article before coming to this thread, given that CO poisoning was not mentioned by AP, I feared it was murder/suicide given his advanced age (95) and that the dog is dead, too. Hope very much it was all accidental tragedy.

InternetJeff

Possibly a double suicide, and maybe they decided to put the dog down too. Very curious.

MomOfARocker

InternetJeff But only put down one dog and not the other two who lived?

broknsymetry

CO poisoning should be easily identifiable, IIRC CO poisoning turns the skin bright pink.

Blackbird

broknsymetry CO poisoning turns the skin bright pink

It's sometimes first noticed when it turns the fingernail cuticles a brighter red... I write from experience. As well, it can (but not always) cause a notable headache at onset. The problem is noticing or realizing what's going on before you lose consciousness. In my case, it occurred on a construction site and multiple workers noticed the headaches, then the fingernails. and got out immediately.

sempergoofy

broknsymetry

broknsymetry CO poisoning should be easily identifiable, IIRC CO poisoning turns the skin bright pink.

It also doesn't leave a big pool of blood, if they found any of those. Could be they poisoned themselves deliberately and also the dog. So sad any way you look at it.

MomOfARocker

telcodad If it was CO, why would their other two dogs be found alive?

telcodad

[Adalicia] Carbon monoxide poisoning maybe?

telcodad That seems to be the most likely cause at this time:

Oh well, seems that CO poisoning has been ruled out now:

Gene Hackman's mysterious death: Pacemaker recorded 'last event' on Feb. 17
USA TODAY - February 28, 2025
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/02/28/gene-hackman-death-new-mexico/80848742007/

Hackman's pacemaker revealed that "his last event was recorded on Feb. 17, 2025," Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said during a press conference Friday. Mendoza said it was "a very good assumption" to conclude that was Hackman's "last day of life," more than a week before he was found.

He also said that tests ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of death for the couple.

Hackman and Arakawa tested negative for carbon monoxide, Mendoza said during the press conference.

ZZZZZZZ

Wow rest in peace great actor. 😧

InternetJeff

Welp, now there appears to be more. Deaths being called "suspicious"...

According to a search warrant, obtained by TMZ, a Santa Fe detective who sought a search warrant wrote in his affidavit, he believes "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."

https://www.tmz.com/2025/02/27/gene-hackman-death-investigation-suspicious/

telcodad

InternetJeff
Yet:

From:
Gene Hackman, wife and dog found dead in home under 'suspicious' circumstances; 2 other dogs found alive
https://abcnews.go.com/US/actor-gene-hackman-wife-found-dead-home-sheriff/story?id=119242578

A maintenance worker who initially responded to the home found the front door open, according to the search warrant affidavit. But there were no signs of forced entry and no signs items were taken or rummaged through, the document said.

Their manner and cause of death are not known, the document said.

The sheriff's office said foul play is not suspected.

JRB-Ware

Who knows how they were living. If this is the address then the place is a dump. The place is trashed and sections are missing from the skylight. The place looks like a shithole.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/1425+Old+Sunset+Trail,+Santa+Fe,+NM+87501/@35.723134,-105.8949046,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x87184e1946debc87:0xa9097092e506cb4c!8m2!3d35.723134!4d-105.8949046!16s%2Fg%2F11ggsbmh66?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIyNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

px_eliezer_

JRB-Ware

That photo is from a celebrity news agency called BACKGRID but we don't know how recent it is.

As well, maybe renovations were being done.

Let's hold off on drive-by bashings.

broknsymetry

px_eliezer_ That photo is from a celebrity news agency called BACKGRID but we don't know how recent it is.

As well, maybe renovations were being done.

Close up of that photo appears to show material for repair nearby. Here is a photo whose caption says it is from today...

Aerial view of the home of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa in Santa Fe County, Feb. 27, 2025.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/actor-gene-hackman-wife-found-dead-home-sheriff/story?id=119242578

Regardless, he was living larger than any of us. RIP.

ThirdShifter

Not much of a mystery. They were old old. One could have had a stoke and the other fallen down to fatally injure themselves.

px_eliezer_

ThirdShifter Not much of a mystery. They were old old. One could have had a stoke and the other fallen down to fatally injure themselves.

64 (his wife) is NOT old.