Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico last week, and police are still investigating what happened
There are several unanswered questions surrounding the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife.
The legendary actor, 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 their property, decomposed and partially mummified, with no obvious signs of trauma.
Police 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.
Santa Fe cops gave a press conference on Friday (February 28), where they shared key updates on their investigation in front of the world’s media that had gathered outside the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office – including the Mirror’s Tom Bryant. However, there are still a number of things that don’t seem to add up.
What happened to the dead dog in the closet?
One of the three dogs belonging to the couple was sadly discovered dead inside a bathroom closet, around 10 to 15 feet away from Betsy’s body. However, it is still unknown what happened to the dog and why it was inside of a closet.
Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya didn’t answer any questions as to how the dog died. Many other questions remain, including whether it died before Gene and Betsy, and whether the closet door was open or closed.
Why were the other two dogs healthy when their owners were dead?
The other two German Shephard dogs found at the property were found alive and healthy, roaming around the property. Both have now been safely rescued by authorities.
However, there is no clarity on why these dogs were able to survive when both of their owners were dead. Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya said the door to the back of the house was open allowing them to go in and out.
“I think they were able to go outside a little bit,” he said. “I don’t know about food.” This begs the question, how were they able to stay alive and healthy for so long without anyone feeding them?
Detectives have found the couple died around 10 days before they were discovered inside of the home – they said Hackman’s pacemaker recorded its last activity on February 17. It’s unknown how the dogs were able to fend for themselves for that long, or if someone else fed them during this time.
Hackman was dead for up to 10 days, but why were there signs of mummification?
The bodies of both Hackman and Arakawa appeared to have been “dead for quite a while”, Sheriff Adan Mendoza said. Arakawa’s body showed signs of decomposition and mummification in the hands and feet, with bloating on her face.
Hackman’s remains “showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent” with that of his wife. It’s believed the couple were dead for up to 10 days before being found, but Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya said mummification only began after more than two weeks.
“It would be over two weeks,” said Moya to a reporter when asked about mummification. If this is the case, why were there signs of mummification on both of the bodies? Were there environmental factors that started the process earlier?
What were the pills found by Betsy’s body, and why is this important evidence?
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza was asked if the pills scattered by Betsy’s body in the bathroom could have caused her death – but toxicology results are still pending. He refused to reveal what the pills were, who they belonged to and whether or not they were prescription.
However, he did describe them as “important evidence” and confirmed they’d passed them onto an expert for further investigation. He added: “I think they are important for the pathologist to consider to try and make a determination what the cause ands manner of death are.”
It was previously reported they were prescription pills were common medications for thyroid and high blood pressure. Mendoza also said: “We’re looking at [the pills] specifically, and other medications possibly in the residence.”
Why was there no CCTV given how famous the couple were?
It seems police have no CCTV footage that could help them piece together Gene and Betsy’s final movements and, ultimately, how they died. Hackman was known to be reclusive and appeared in his last film in 2004, but the apparant lack of surveillance is strange considering how famous he and his wife are.
Mendoza said there was no “surveillance as we know it right now in the interior or exterior of the residence.” He added: “I think everyone here understands that they were very private individuals and a very private family.”
How did Gene and Betsy die?
The most pressing question is, of course, how the pair died. An initial autopsy found “no external trauma” on their bodies, but an official cause of death has not yet been confirmed and it could be months before this is known.
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.
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. A forensic expert has speculated that Gene died of a cardiac arrest caused by an abnormal pulse rate, claiming this was the last recoded event on Gene’s pacemaker.
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 also suggested that Betsy may have died while trying to help her husband, and that she may have found the actor in the mudroom where his body was discovered, gone to the bathroom to get medication for him and hit her head and fell.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
