Police are still trying to piece together what happened to Gene Hackman and his wife following their 'suspicious' deaths.
The two-time Oscar winner, 95, and the classical pianist, 63, were found dead, along with one of their dogs, at their secluded home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday. Officers said there were no apparent signs of foul play but the tragedy continues to raise questions, with police labelling the tragedy as 'suspicious'.
It was first suspected that the couple had played victim to carbon monoxide poisoning, however both bodies have since tested negative. While three days after the discovery the manner and cause of death have still not been determined, further testing is ongoing, bringing new information to light.
As we await the official results of the autopsy, the Mirror takes a look at what we know so far and the most recent updates from Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza...
Maintenance workers Roland Lowe Begay and Jesse Kesler discovered the bodies of Gene, 95, and Betsy, 63, at their home, having not seen the pair for weeks. In a 911 call, one of the workers said they were unable to get inside the house. Asked if the couple was breathing, they replied: "I have no idea. I am not inside the house. It's closed. It's locked. I can't go in. But I can see she's laying down on the floor from the window."
Betsy was found lying on the bathroom floor with an open orange bottle of prescription pills scattered across a countertop. It remains unclear what the pills were. Her body was decomposing with bloating to her face and mummification on her hands and feet. A space heater was positioned close to Betsy's head, and investigators are considering whether it may have fallen.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza is said to have claimed the pills are "significant evidence" and are "of concern". He is said to have described the pills as "very important evidence" and said they have been passed onto a medical investigator.
He said, according to The Sun: "We’re looking at [the pills] specifically, and other medications possibly in the residence".
Meanwhile, Gene's body was discovered in a similar state of decomposition in a mudroom near the kitchen. He was fully dressed, in grey joggers, a long-sleeve T-shirt, brown slippers and a walking cane, with sunglasses lying beside him - a detail that hints he may have collapsed unexpectedly.
The report said cops "observed a pair of feet and legs on the ground near the kitchen area" which they found to be Gene. It added: "Based on Deputy Thomas' training and experience he suspected the male individual has suddenly fallen."
However in an update on Saturday, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, who spoke to a pathologist in the case earlier on Friday, said there is nothing which suggests the couple fell, 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.”
One of their three dogs, a brown German Shepherd, was discovered lifeless inside a closet near the bathroom, approximately 10 to 15 feet from Betsy's body. Initial reports mistakenly stated that the dog had died inside a kennel. The couple's other two surviving dogs were unharmed. One was found near Betsy's remains, while the other was seen wandering around the property.
Gene Hackman was still alive on February 17, according to his pacemaker that recorded a 'last event' on this date. It was recorded nine days before his body was discovered alongside his wife's at their home, police said.
They say it is a “reasonable assumption” that Gene 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.” According to retired chief medical examiner in Maricopa County, Arizona, Dr Philip Keen, the moment when a pacemaker stops working could mark the point when a person dies but not always.
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.”
Investigators noted that the front door was ajar, but there were no indications of forced entry. Sheriff Adan Mendoza told The Santa Fe New Mexican: "I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there's no immediate danger to anyone." The sheriff told the media there was "no indication of a struggle" or anything missing from the home. He said there was no indication a crime had occurred.
In a search warrant obtained by TMZ, the official who requested the search warrant wrote that he believed "the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation". It read: "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."
An autopsy has since been carried out which ruled out any external trauma to both the actor and his late wife. A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said: "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."
It went on: "Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were requested for both individuals. The manner and cause of death has not been determined. The official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending. This remains an open investigation." New Mexico Gas Company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were discovered and while no signs of problems were found, a detective noted that people exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide may not show signs of poisoning.
In an update on Saturday, 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." He added: "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.”
Police are looking into those who were last in touch with the couple. However Mr Mendoza said: "That’s one of our challenges because of their privacy. 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 to look through a calendar found near the couple’s bodies. Contact will also be made with workers, security staff and family members.
Oscar-winning actor Gene, known for his performances in iconic films The French Connection and Unforgiven, lived a quiet life with his second wife Betsy, whom he married in 1991. He had three children with his first wife, Faye Maltese; son Christopher Allen and daughters Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean. Hours after Gene's death was announced, daughters Elizabeth and Leslie, and granddaughter Annie, said he will be "sorely" missed and they have been left "devastated" by the news.
Leslie described Gene and Betsy's bond as a "wonderful marriage". She said: "I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive. She took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health. I am appreciative to her for that, and I'm very saddened by her passing."
Leslie told MailOnline that there was "no indication" that there was anything wrong with Gene before his death. She said: "Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition," before adding that her father did not have any major surgeries these last few months. "He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health."
Lesie added that because she lives in California, it had been a 'few months' since she had last seen or heard from her father, who had become reclusive in the latter years of his life. "We were close. I hadn't talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal and everything was good," Leslie shared.
Gene had previously opened up about his scenic Santa Fe home in an interview with Architectural Digest back in 1990, having remodelled his house on 12 acres of hilltop land with a 360-degree view. The 1950s block building was renovated for Gene and his wife Betsy into a "part pueblo, part colonial New Mexico, part Spanish Baroque" property. "It had a kind of magic in it," Gene said in the interview. " It's totally different from my other houses. The Montecito house was very formal."
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