A forensic expert has shared his theory on what may have caused the deaths of Hollywood acting legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
The couple, aged 95 and 65, were tragically found dead at their Santa Fe home this week, with authorities currently investigating the strange circumstances of their deaths.
Earlier this week, police revealed that they had looked into the data on Gene Hackman's pacemaker and found that the last event was recorded on February 17 - nine days before before his body was found.
Now, forensic pathologist Dr Michael Baden has revealed on Fox News that the Unforgiven star's pacemaker could be a huge clue in his mysterious death. "That event would have been a cardiac arrest caused by an abnormal pulse rate," he said.
"The pacemaker keeps track of the pulse, and when it gets down too low, it discharges. And that's all in the record."
He added: "So the autopsy showed he didn't have any injury. There was no carbon monoxide. And he had — the most common cause of death in this country — severe heart disease, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure perhaps, from what's been released. So that would cause him, having cardiac arrest in the mudroom, to collapse right there."
Michael went onto speculate that Betsy may have died while trying to help her husband. "His wife was found in the bathroom," Baden said. "They haven't released the information about her findings, except that she did not have carbon monoxide in her, and that what appears to be from the scene and from what's been said is that she found her husband in the mudroom."
If Betsy had entered the bathroom to retrieve her husband's blood pressure medication, she may have fallen to the floor and dropped the pills. "She may have struck her head on the way down and had some internal injury to the brain that doesn't show up on the outside or bleeding in the inside of the brain," he said.
"Or that she may also, at 65, had severe heart disease and excitement can cause a trigger to the cardiac rhythm causing death under those circumstances. I think the first, that striking her head would be more common."
As for their dog, who was found dead in the bedroom closet 10-15 feet away from Betsy, Michael theorised that their pet may have died from lack of water over the nine day period.
What was perplexing to me initially with the release was the death of a dog also, which I thought was free in the house," Baden said.
"And that's why I think that the carbon monoxide [theory] was a very good thought with them breathing in the same air. But it turns out from what they say, that the dog was constrained in his cage or kennel and would have died from just dehydration and lack of water during the nine-day period that he couldn't get out of the kennel."
Earlier today, a fire chief involved in the Gene Hackman case spoke about the state of mummification that Betsy was found in, saying: "If somebody was down for a long time their hands could be blackened and stuff to that nature. They could have no eyes. The eyes could have been gone by that time.
"My indication is that we don’t know how long they were down. My team’s main focus was to find out if they were deceased."
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