What we know so far about the investigation into deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa

Kevin Maimann · CBC News

· Posted: Feb 28, 2025 1:37 PM EST | Last Updated: February 28

Celebrity tributes poured in aft quality broke connected Thursday that legendary histrion Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, were recovered dead successful their New Mexico home.

Police accidental the circumstances astir the deaths of Hackman, 95, Arakawa, 65, and their German shepherd were unusual, which has fuelled plenty of speculation online. The region sheriff said Friday that the mates had tested antagonistic for c monoxide, but the origin of decease is inactive unknown.

Authorities accidental portion they bash not fishy foul play was involved, they haven't ruled retired the possibility as they continue to investigate. Here's what we cognize truthful far. 

When did they die? 

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters that Hackman and Arakawa had been deceased "for rather a while" by the clip officers recovered them connected Wednesday — perchance respective days or "even up to a mates weeks."

The idiosyncratic who called 911, arsenic good arsenic different worker, told police that they seldom saw the mates and that their past interaction with them had been astir 2 weeks earlier their bodies were found.

How were they found?

According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, a maintenance idiosyncratic contacted neighbourhood information to behaviour a payment cheque aft nary 1 answered the doorway erstwhile helium showed up astatine the home, a two-storey stucco gathering successful a gated community in Santa Fe. The home's address is 1425 Old Sunset Trail, according to the region sheriff.

A information serviceman saw an unresponsive woman on the crushed done a model and called 911.

Two patrol deputies were dispatched to the location astatine astir 1:45 p.m. section time on Wednesday.

According to an affidavit for the hunt warrant, the officers spoke with two attraction workers who said they had recovered the home's beforehand doorway ajar. The officers confirmed the doorway was unfastened erstwhile they arrived but said they did not spot immoderate signs of forced introduction and that it did not look thing was "out of place" oregon had been taken from the home.

Inside, the deputies found the bodies of a antheral and a woman, successful abstracted rooms, some of whom appeared to person fallen suddenly.

The woman was recovered successful a bath adjacent a abstraction heater connected the ground, with a vessel of medicine pills scattered connected the countertop, portion a man was successful the entryway with a cane and a brace of sunglasses lying nearby, authorities said.

Officers said they besides recovered a dormant German shepherd inside a kennel successful a bath closet, astir "10-15 feet" from the woman. They besides recovered 2 steadfast dogs — 1 wrong and 1 extracurricular the location — and said a canine doorway allowed them to participate and exit.

Deputies secured the country and notified the transgression investigations division.

Because of aboriginal suspicions that the deaths were caused by c monoxide poisoning, Santa Fe City occurrence unit and the New Mexico Gas Company were called to the country to trial for c monoxide and "other overseas elements."

The location was deemed harmless to enter, and a hunt warrant was carried retired astatine astir 9:30 p.m.  

How did the couple die? 

Authorities accidental determination are nary evident signs of foul play astatine this signifier of the investigation.

The occurrence section did not find signs of a c monoxide leak oregon poisoning, however, and the state institution recovered nary contiguous grounds indicating immoderate problems with the pipes.

The affidavit said the bodies showed no indications of blunt unit trauma oregon wounds, but constabulary still sought to prehend immoderate blunt unit objects during the hunt warrant, saying the circumstances astir the deaths are "suspicious capable successful quality to necessitate a thorough hunt and investigation."

The sheriff's bureau aboriginal said archetypal autopsy findings noted determination was nary outer trauma to either individual.

The origin of decease volition beryllium determined by the Office of the Medical Investigator. 

Carbon monoxide and toxicology trial results are pending, but they tin perchance instrumentality respective months.