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Gene Hackman Dead: 2-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, 95, whose career in Hollywood spanned over 40 years, was found dead at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, who is a pianist, was also found dead along with the couple’s dog. There were 2 other dogs at the residence at the time the investigative authorities recovered the mortal remains of Gene and Betsy. They survived. Here’s what we know about the case so far.
After a concerned neighbour called the police, a welfare check was conducted at Gene’s home. Eventually, the actor’s body was discovered.
According to the police, Gene, Betsy and their dog had been “dead for some time” and the couple’s bodies were in different rooms when deputies found them.
There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the counter top near Betsy.
A spokesperson on behalf of the sheriff’s department said there was no indication that any of them had been shot or had other types of wounds.
Hackman’s eldest daughter, Elizabeth told TMZ that the family suspects that carbon monoxide poisoning could be the reason behind her father, his wife and their dog’s death.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza shared that they are not ruling anything out. Although no visible trauma was discovered, Adan said that they “could have been victims of a double homicide, suicide, accidental death, or natural causes”.
The deputy on the scene saw a black space heater near Betsy’s head. The deputy believed the heater could have fallen in the event she abruptly fell to the ground.
Gene Hackman met Betsy Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s, the New York Times reported in 1989. They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade had decamped to Santa Fe. Their Southwestern-style ranch on Old Sunset Trail sits on a hill in a gated community with views of the Rocky Mountains.
The 2,300 square-foot home on one acre (0.4 hectares) was built in 2000 and had an estimated market value of a little over $1 million, according to Santa Fe County property tax records. It is modest compared to the sprawling estate next door, which was valued at $7.9 million.
