Gene Hackman and his wife could have been ‘dead for weeks’ before they were found

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, may have been dead for ‘several days or even a couple of weeks’ before they were found, officials have revealed.

The legendary actor, 95, and classical pianist, 64, were found dead in their Santa Fe home, alongside their pet dog.

Sheriff’s deputies found Hackman in the kitchen, and Arakawa and the dog in a bathroom, with scattered pills from an open prescription bottle on the bathroom counter.

Both appeared to have suddenly fallen to the floor and neither showed signs of blunt force trauma, the affidavit said.

Appearing in a virtual interview on the Today show this morning, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza shared further insight into the incident, explaining that officers were still trying to put an official timeline together.

‘We don’t have more information. We’re trying to put things together, put together a timeline [of] when the decedents were last seen or spoken to,’ he said.

‘We understand that is a big challenge as they were very private individuals and a private family. We’re trying to put all that information together right now.’

When asked about a timeline of how long they may have been dead, he continued: ‘It’s very difficult to put a timeline together, even with the help of the office of the medical investigator.

‘Just based on their body and other evidence on the body, it appears [they had been dead for] several days, possibly even up to a couple of weeks.’

Audio from the 911 call released on Thursday by Santa Fe County revealed that a worker at the property could not access the home but that he could see a woman on the floor through the window.

The worker begins in the call: ‘I think we just found two, one deceased person inside a house. There’s no address. I’m going to wait for you at the gate. I’m going to wait for you at the gate. Send somebody really quick.’

They say they don’t know who Hackman and Arakawa are, not knowing their age or saying their names on the call.

When asked if they’re with the patients, the caretaker says they’re not inside the house and are looking at the scene from outside.

‘I have no idea. I’m not inside the house. It’s closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in. But I see them. She’s laying down on the floor from the window,’ they continue.

The caller says they do not appear to be awake or alert, and they cannot hear a cough or crying when asked by he dispatcher.

‘No, they’re not moving. Just send somebody out here, really quick,’ they plead, as the dispatcher assures them units are on their way.

The caller ends the interaction apologising after being asked if there was a way to gain access to the property.

Local media outlet the Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Mendoza confirmed the sad news in the early hours of Thursday morning.

According to a search warrant obtained by TMZ, Arakawa was found in a bathroom and it appeared that she had been dead ‘for some time’, as her body was found in a state of decomposition.

She reportedly had bloating in her face, and mummification in both her hands and feet, with their deceased dog discovered in a closet in the bathroom.

Hackman was found in a separate room and was fully clothed at the time.

The documents, via BBC, read: ‘The male decedent also showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent.’

In a news conference on Thursday afternoon, the outlet reports that Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said: ‘It sounds like they had been deceased for quite a while, and I don’t want to guess in reference to how long that was.

‘There was no immediate sign of foul play. Haven’t ruled that out yet.

‘This is an investigation, so we’re keeping everything on the table.’

Preliminary findings from a medical investigation found that neither suffered ‘external trauma’, with a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office saying: ‘In the early hours of Thursday, February 27, 2025, Hackman and Arakawa were transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator.

‘An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual.’

The official results of the post-mortem examinations and toxicology reports are pending and the manner and cause of death has not yet been determined, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

While there are not said to be any immediate concerns regarding foul play, it has been reported that Hackman’s family believe carbon monoxide poisoning may be to blame.

His daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, told the publication that everyone is unsure of what happened, but thinks the cause may be related to toxic fumes.

Hackman’s daughter Leslie said ‘there was no indication that there was any problem’ before her father’s death.

‘Despite his age, he was in a very good physical condition,’ she told Mail Online.

‘He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.’

Leslie – one of the Unforgiven star’s three children from his first marriage to Faye Maltese – did state that her father’s death was ‘not terribly shocking because he was 95.’

She also added that she had not seen or heard from her reclusive dad for a ‘few months’ as she lives in California, even though they enjoyed a ‘close’ relationship.

Leslie, 58, said: ‘We were close. I hadn’t talked to them for a couple of months, but everything was normal and everything was good.’

She has stressed that the Oscar-winner and his wife Betsy had ‘a wonderful marriage’ after tying the knot over 30 years ago.

She said: ‘They had a wonderful marriage. And I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive.

‘[Betsy] took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health.

‘So I am appreciative to her for that, and I’m very saddened by her passing.’

Leslie confirmed that she will be travelling to New Mexico once the police provide her with more information after the authorities revealed that the circumstances surrounding the pair’s deaths were ‘not normal.’

She explained: ‘We need to wait and find out whatever information from the police. We weren’t expecting to have to go out there and go through the house and all that.

His loved ones also issued an official tribute, which read: ‘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 and are devastated by the loss.’

TMZ reports that the fire department – and the New Mexico gas company – visited the property and found no signs of carbon monoxide leaks.

‘As of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence,’ the latter added, via the publication.

It must be noted that a cause of death has yet to be confirmed, with investigations still ongoing.

A neighbor called in with concerns about their wellbeing, with officers performing a welfare check on their home, via ABC News.

It was then that their bodies were discovered, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Denise Avila said.

KOB4 reports that police were dispatched at around 1:45pm, with the sheriff’s office eventually identifying the couple in the evening.

In an interview Wednesday evening, the sheriff said there are no immediate concerns about foul play, though he did not provide a cause of death.

A statement from the sheriff, as reported by PA, reads: ‘We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail.

‘This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.

‘All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant.’

A legendary actor, Hackman received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and the Silver Bear throughout his six-decade career.

The couple had been married since 1991 and moved to New Mexico from Los Angeles in 2004. They were last seen out in the Santa Fe area together in February 2025.

Born in California in 1930, Hackman enlisted in the army after lying about his age at 16, serving for four-and-a-half years in the Marines before deciding to pursue a career in acting.

Hackman appeared in countless iconic roles but will perhaps be best remembered for his two Academy Award Winning parts.

He won his first Oscar for the part of Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in William Friedkin’s thriller The French Connection (1971) and the other for Best Supporting Actor for his role as ‘Little’ Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s Western film Unforgiven (1992).

His other Oscar-nominated roles were in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), I Never Sang for My Father (1970), and Mississippi Burning (1988).

The versatile performer played over 100 roles throughout his career, including as Lex Luthor in Superman movies in the 1970s and 1980s.

He said his role in the 1973 film Scarecrow, alongside Al Pacino, was his favorite role of his career.

He also starred in the hit movies Runaway Jury and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conservation, which won the Palm d’Or, as well as Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums.

His last film appearance was in Welcome to Mooseport in 2004, where he played Monroe Cole.

Struggling with stress and burnout, Hackman decided to quit acting due to heart troubles in 2004, telling Empire of his decision five years later: ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back was actually a stress test that I took in New York.

‘The doctor advised me that my heart wasn’t in the kind of shape that I should be putting it under any stress.’

He told Reuters in 2008 that he was sure of his decision to leave Hollywood behind: ‘I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer.’

‘I’ve been told not to say that over the last few years, in case some real wonderful part comes up, but I really don’t want to do it any longer.’

He also began writing novels around this time, telling the publication: ‘I like the loneliness of it, actually. It’s similar in some ways to acting, but it’s more private and I feel like I have more control over what I’m trying to say and do.’

‘There’s always a compromise in acting and in film, you work with so many people and everyone has an opinion. … I don’t know that I like it better than acting, it’s just different. I find it relaxing and comforting.’

Between 1999 and 2013, Hackman wrote five novels that tended toward the historical fiction genre: Wake of the Perdido Star (1999),Justice for None (2004), Escape from Andersonville (2008), Payback at Morning Peak (2011), and Pursuit (2013).

Often characterised as impatient and prickly in the press, Hackman had a marked dislike for all of the attention and posturing that fame required.

When asked about this reputation in a 1992 interview with All About Actors, he said: ‘It’s probably accurate. The movie business is very stressful, and a lot of times people doing interviews hang around sometimes for a couple of days before they talk to you, or even after they talk to you.