Gene Hackman and wife’s deaths called ‘suspicious,’ bodies showed signs of ‘mummification’
An investigation into the deaths of the couple and their dog is ongoing, according to Santa Fe police
Authorities say no obvious signs of foul play in deaths of Gene Hackman, wife, but not ruling it out
Fox News chief correspondent Jonathan Hunt and TMZ’s Branson Quirke have the latest on the investigation into the deaths of the legendary actor, his wife and their dog on ‘America Reports.’
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was found dead alongside his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and their dog in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Wednesday afternoon.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department revealed autopsies were completed on both Hackman and his wife in a press release shared with Fox News Digital Thursday afternoon. No external trauma was seen on either the actor or the musician. Authorities continue to investigate the couple’s deaths as official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending.
Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were ordered for both Hackman and his wife as the manner and cause of death have not been determined.
Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa during the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards. (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
A harrowing 911 call, obtained by Fox News Channel, was made by a distressed maintenance worker after the man discovered the bodies of Hackman and his wife.
The employee frantically pleaded for police to immediately rush to the New Mexico residence.
In the recording, the man can be heard telling the operator that he “found two or one deceased person[s] inside a house.”
“Please send somebody really quick,” the caller urged
“[The house] is closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in,” he said. “But I see that she is lying down on the floor from the window.”
The caller told the dispatcher that Hackman and his wife were not “awake” or “alert.”
“No, dude, they’re not moving! Just send somebody out here really quick!” the man on the 911 call said with urgency.
Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Thursday. (AP Photo/Roberto Rosales)The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference regarding the investigation on Thursday.
“A search warrant was executed just before 10 p.m. last night. They’ve been working diligently through the night and starting again in the morning to completely process the scene. We’re still in the preliminary steps of the investigation,” authorities said.
A search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital revealed that Hackman’s wife was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet.
Hackman was found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife.
Law enforcement officials outside Gene Hackman’s home on Thursday in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Roberto Rosales)
Hackman’s daughter Leslie told Fox News Digital on Thursday that although her father “was 95, he was in very good health,” adding that he did yoga and Pilates regularly.
Hackman said she hadn’t seen her father in a “few years,” only because he no longer traveled much, and she lives in California, but she said they were close and had “been in touch over the last couple of months.”
“I loved him dearly,” she said over the phone. “He was a genuinely good-hearted person.”
Leslie said she had been “kind of mentally preparing” herself for his death because of his age, but she said it was “very shocking” to hear about his wife’s death because she was only 63.
“We don’t understand what happened,” she said.
Leslie said that their family is waiting to hear from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office about their causes of death, adding that authorities had told them that they had been in contact with the fire department about possible carbon monoxide poisoning, and they are waiting to hear back about that.
