Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico last week, and now their cause of deaths may have been uncovered
Gene Hackman’s cause of death may have been figured out by a forensic expert.
Hollywood legend Hackman, 95, was found dead at his Santa Fe home in Santa Fe, New Mexico last week with his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, and one of their dogs. Their bodies were discovered in separate rooms of the property, decomposed and partially mummified, with no obvious signs of trauma.
Santa Fe cops are investigating the mysterious triple death and believed it to be “suspicious enough” to require a search warrant, which has now been executed on the property. No foul play is suspected but police aren’t ruling anything out at this stage.
An initial autopsy found “no external trauma” on their bodies, and an official cause of death has not yet been confirmed. The couple died around 10 days before they were found as Hackman’s pacemaker last recorded an event on February 17, suggesting he was lying dead at the home in the ensuing days.
Forensic pathologist Dr Michael Baden has now offered his verdict on what may have caused Hackman and Betsy’s deaths, and he believes the the double Oscar winner may have died from a cardiac arrest. He believes the pacemaker is a huge clue and said its last recorded event would have been a cardiac arrest.
Appearing on Fox News, he said: “That event would have been a cardiac arrest caused by an abnormal pulse rate. The pacemaker keeps track of the pulse, and when it gets down too low, it discharges. And that’s all in the record.”
He continued: “So the autopsy showed he didn’t have any injury. There was no carbon monoxide. And he had — the most common cause of death in this country — severe heart disease, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure perhaps, from what’s been released. So that would cause him, having cardiac arrest in the mudroom, to collapse right there.”
Baden theorised that Betsy may have died as she tried to help her husband. “His wife was found in the bathroom,” he said. “They haven’t released the information about her findings, except that she did not have carbon monoxide in her, and that what appears to be from the scene and from what’s been said is that she found her husband in the mudroom.”
He speculated that Betsy may have gone into the bathroom to get Hackman’s blood pressure medication but fell to the floor and dropped the pills, taking the portable heater down with her. “She may have struck her head on the way down and had some internal injury to the brain that doesn’t show up on the outside or bleeding in the inside of the brain.
“Or that she may also, at 65, had severe heart disease and excitement can cause a trigger to the cardiac rhythm causing death under those circumstances. I think the first, that striking her head would be more common.”
Besty was found lying on the bathroom floor of the property and Hackman was in a mud room off of the couple’s kitchen. A police document revealed that Betsy was “found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet” and that Gene had the “same signs of decomposition as his wife”.
Detectives suspect Hackman could have died of a sudden fall as a walking cane was found next to his body, as well as a pair of sunglasses. They also believe Besty could have fallen as a portable heater was next to Betsy’s head, which could have been brought down if she, too, had fallen suddenly.
Santa Fe sheriff Adan Mendoza reportedly confirmed the pills found near Betsy’s body are a “significant [piece of] evidence” and are “of concern”. A prescription bottle and scattered pills were discovered on the countertop of the bathroom close to her body.
The search warrant stated the prescription pills were common medications for thyroid and high blood pressure. Mendoza said the pills have been handed over to a medical expert and represented “very important evidence”, adding: “We’re looking at [the pills] specifically, and other medications possibly in the residence.”
There were no signs of a gas leak and the bodies tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning, despite a theory this could have caused their deaths. The search warrant said the deaths are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” as the worker who found the bodies had found the front door of Hackman’s mansion to be open.
However, there was no evidence of forced entry into the property. The detective noted seemed out of place inside of the mansion and that there was no indication that any belongings had been removed or rummaged through.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
