The deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife, and one of their dogs are now being treated as "suspicious" by authorities who said on Thursday that the door to the couple's Santa Fe, New Mexico, home was found "unsecured and open," police wrote in an affidavit, obtained by TMZ,
Also, Hackman and Arakawa were found partially mummified inside their $3.3 million mansion, with pills scattered in their bathroom. An arrest warrant obtained by the Daily Mail revealed that Arakawa, 64, was found in an advanced state of decomposition, with facial bloating and mummification in her hands and feet. Hackman was also found to have similar signs of decomposition as his wife.
Mystery Deepens in Deaths
Two maintenance workers, Roland Lowe Begay and Jesse Kesler, found the bodies of Arakawa and her retired Hollywood star husband inside their lavish Santa Fe mansion on Wednesday at 1:46 p.m. Mountain Time.
The identities of Hackman and Arakawa were not publicly revealed for nearly 12 hours, with emerging details about the scene possibly explaining the delay. Begay and Kesler told investigators that they had not seen the couple in two weeks. Both appeared to have been dead for an extended period.
Arakawa was found lying on the bathroom floor, with an open prescription pill bottle and scattered pills on a nearby countertop. Authorities have not specified what type of medication was inside or whether it had been prescribed to Hackman or Arakawa.
A space heater was located near Arakawa's head, leading investigators to believe it may have fallen.
Hackman's body was found in a mud room adjacent to the couple's kitchen, according to the warrant.
The Oscar-winning "Superman" actor was found fully clothed, with his sunglasses lying beside him, suggesting he may have suffered a sudden fall.
Firefighters were called to the home, but no gas leak was detected. Earlier on Thursday, Hackman's daughter, Elizabeth, speculated that her father and stepmother may have died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Chilling Details Emerge
One of the couple's three dogs, a German Shepherd, was found dead around 10 to 15 feet away from Betsy in a closet near the bathroom. Initial reports had claimed the dog was found inside a kennel. However, the couple's two other dogs survived.
One of the surviving dogs was located near Betsy's body, while the other was seen roaming around the property.
The front door of the home was left open, but there were no indications of forced entry.
The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department has said that while there is no evidence of foul play, the investigation remains ongoing.
Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner with an estimated fortune of $80 million, had just celebrated his 95th birthday in late January. Over the past two decades, he lived a reclusive life, having retired from acting in 2004. He left Los Angeles for a quieter existence in New Mexico—and never returned.
Known for his tough yet charismatic presence, Hackman was regarded as one of the greatest actors of his era. Over the course of his career, he played a range of characters—from villains to heroes and complex antiheroes—in several dramas, comedies, and action films from the 1960s until he retired in the early 2000s.
A five-time Oscar nominee, he won Best Actor for "The French Connection" in 1972 and later earned another Academy Award for "Unforgiven" in 1992. His death comes just four days before this year's Oscars ceremony.
Hackman first met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist from Hawaii, in the mid-1980s when she was working part-time at a gym in California. According to a New York Times report from 1989, they quickly became close, moved in together, and eventually settled in Santa Fe by the end of the decade.
A naturally reserved person, Hackman was often described as a recluse, spending years away from the public eye. However, friends would occasionally share glimpses of his life after acting, including social media posts from fishing trips and tributes to his Hollywood legacy. He was also sometimes spotted riding his bicycle around Santa Fe.
Last year, Hackman and Betsy were seen in public for the first time in two decades. Hackman was spotted holding onto his wife's arm for support as they dined at Pappadeaux's Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
It was the couple's first public appearance together in 21 years, their last being at the 2003 Golden Globe Awards, where Hackman received the Cecil B. deMille Award.
