A police chief has revealed that a bottle of tablets could be "very important evidence" as the mystery of how Hollywood acting legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa died deepens.
The couple, aged 95 and 65, were tragically found dead at their New Mexico compound last week. It is not known how the pair died, or the exact date. The pair, who had been married for over thirty years, were found found dead in separate rooms, with one of their three dogs dead in a cupboard.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adam Mendoza told the Today Show that a bottle of prescription medication found at the Hollywood legend's home was now being treated as a "very important" piece of evidence, adding that it "is something of concern".
Speaking on Friday, Mendoza said the retireved pills had been given to the local medical examiner's office to aid them determining a cause of death. However, it could be months until the toxicology results come back.
"We’re looking at that specifically and other medications, of course, that were possibly in the residence.
"But we’re hoping [the report] comes sooner than later so we can answer some of these questions and hopefully it’ll help us in our investigation to help determine… the matter and cause of death."
He added that although the front door to the couple's remote compound was found ajar, he doesn't suspect foul play. He told Today: "I think I'm pretty confident that there is no foul play just based on the lack of evidence. But, of course, we're not ruling that out."
The Huffington Post reported that three types of medication were removed from Hackman's home, Diltiazem, a blood pressure medication; a thyroid medication, and Tylenol, which is a US brand name for paracetamol.
On Friday, at a press conference, Sherriff Mendoza was able to share a rough date of death for the actor. He said: "An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on Feb. 17, 2025."
However, it is not known if Gene or Betsy, who both described as 'mummified', died first.
Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya explained: “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.
It’s been previously reported how Betsy “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet. ” Hackman was found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife.
Yesterday we reported that cops are set to quiz Hackman’s three children as they try to discover the actor and his wife’s last movements. The star is survived by the three children he had with his ex-wife, Faye Maltese: Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 63, and Leslie, 58.
And police have confirmed they are speaking to “family members” as they try to piece together Gene and his wife Betsy’s final days.
Comments
Leave a Comment