Gene Hackman and his wife were dead for around ten days before their bodies were found, US authorities believe.
The Hollywood actor, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 63, a classical pianist, were found dead at their home in Santa Fe in the state of New Mexico on Wednesday.
Both bodies showed signs of decomposition and “appeared to have been dead for some time”. Santa Fe County Sheriffs have said the deaths are “suspicious enough” to warrant further investigation.
In a news conference held on Friday evening, authorities said new evidence suggests the couple had been been dead since 17 February.
Tests on Hackman’s pacemaker show that he was alive on this date when a “last event” was recorded.
Police said there were no apparent signs of foul play in the couple’s home and that it is a “reasonable assumption” that Hackman died when his pacemaker had its “last event”.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, who spoke to a pathologist in the case earlier on Friday, told a press conference: “Both individuals tested negative for carbon monoxide.
“An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr Hackman’s pacemaker.
“This revealed that his last event was recorded February 17 2025, I was advised that a more thorough investigation will be completed.”
He also said: “Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual.
“The manner and cause of death has not been determined.
“The official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending.”
Hackman’s body was found in a side room near the kitchen, according to the search warrant.
He was discovered wearing grey tracksuit bottoms, a long-sleeve blue t-shirt and brown slippers. A pair of sunglasses and a walking cane were found next to his body.
Arakawa was found next to a space heater in a bathroom. A bottle of prescription medication and scattered pills were on the countertop close to her body.
A German shepherd dog owned by the couple was found dead in a closet near to Arakawa’s body.
Two other dogs were found alive at the property, one inside and one outside.
Mendoza had previously said there were several conflicting stories about which doors were locked at the house – he said several were unlocked and a rear door was open, which allowed the two dogs that survived to go in and out.
He also said he thought the front door was closed but unlocked.
The alarm had been raised by a maintenance person doing pest control at the property, who was concerned because he had not seen the couple, police said.
New Mexico Gas Company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered, according to a search warrant, and no signs of problems were found.
Officers are still trying to piece together the couple’s last known contact with other people but “that’s one of our challenges because of their privacy,” Mendoza said.
A search was carried out after the bodies were discovered and several items were “secured from the residence for evidentiary purposes”.
These included two green mobile phones, two bottles of medication, medical records and a 2025 monthly planner.
Work is now being done to “sift through cell phones” and look through a calendar found near the couple’s bodies.
Contact will also be made with workers, security staff and family members.
Mendoza said there is nothing which suggests either Hackman or Arakawa suffered a fall, adding: “I don’t think, you know, there was any indication that, again, there was no trauma or injured themselves, or head injury or brain injury.”
The moment when a pacemaker stops working could mark the point when a person dies but not always, according to Dr Philip Keen, the retired chief medical examiner in Maricopa County, Arizona.
He said later: “If your heart required a pacemaker, there would certainly be an interruption at that point – and it might be the hallmark of when the death occurred.
“But it’s not necessarily because some people get a pacemaker to augment things, not necessarily replace things.”
He also felt it would be unlikely for a person who tested negative for carbon monoxide initially to later be found to have been poisoned by it.
Hackman, who was widely respected as one of the greatest actors of his generation, was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for The French Connection in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for Unforgiven two decades later.
His daughters Elizabeth and Leslie, and his granddaughter Annie, said they will miss the actor “sorely” and are “devastated by the loss”.
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