Police are still investigating the deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman , 94, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, at their home in New Mexico on February 26, 2025. 

In a recent statement to The New York Times , police said they found an open pill bottle and several pills scattered next to the bodies of Gene Hackman and Ms. Arakawa. Nearby was the couple’s dead dog.

An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma, but toxicology results are pending. Authorities have not found a suicide note and confirmed the investigation is ongoing.

Gene Hackman is one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, won two Oscars and is famous for the films The French Connection, Unforgiven, Superman… 

After leaving the cinema, he spent time writing books and painting in Santa Fe, a place he loved because he could live a simple life. 

The death of him and his wife has caused confusion in public opinion because the details are somewhat confusing, and the public is eager to know the truth of this incident.

Forensic experts explain ‘suspicious’ details at the site where the bodies of actor Gene Hackman and his wife and their dog were found, saying the mysterious deaths could be the result of a tragic accident.

The criminal investigation into the Hackmans’ deaths began on February 26 after New Mexico authorities discovered the 95-year-old actor, his 65-year-old pianist wife, and one of their three dogs dead at their home in Santa Fe.

The Santa Fe Police Department said there were no obvious signs of foul play and no external injuries were found on the couple, but it was “suspicious” enough to warrant an investigation.

After a preliminary autopsy was completed, Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that the couple tested negative for carbon monoxide and that the actor had likely died approximately nine days before his body was discovered.

On Fox Report , forensic expert Michael Baden explained that Hackman’s pacemaker, which police confirmed last recorded data on February 17, could provide important clues.

“It could be a cardiac arrest due to an irregular heartbeat. The pacemaker monitors the heart’s rhythm, and when the heart rate drops too low, it sends out an electrical impulse. It’s all recorded in the records,” said Baden.

“So the autopsy showed that he had no injuries. He had severe heart disease – the most common cause of death in this country – probably coronary artery disease and high blood pressure, according to what was published. That would have caused him to go into cardiac arrest in the locker room, collapse right there,” the forensic expert shared.

In a search warrant released by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office, investigators said they found Hackman’s body on the floor in the lobby area with a walking stick and sunglasses nearby. Detectives suspect the actor may have “fallen suddenly,” according to the documents.

Expert Baden hypothesized that Arakawa’s death may have occurred after Hackman’s pacemaker stopped working while she was trying to help her husband.

According to police, Arawkawa was found on the bathroom floor, with the heater near her head. An orange prescription bottle was found near her, appearing to have been opened, with pills scattered across the counter. Authorities listed thyroid medication, blood pressure medication, and Tylenol among the items they collected from the home.

According to Baden, available information about the scene suggests that Arawkawa found her husband in the dressing room. Baden explained that in an agitated state, Arakawa may have rushed into the bathroom to get Hackman’s blood pressure medication before falling to the floor, scattering the medication and taking the heater with her.

“She could have hit her head when she fell and had some internal brain injury that was not apparent or bleeding in the brain. Or she could have had a serious heart condition at age 65, and the agitation could have affected her heart rhythm and caused her to die. I think it would be more common for her to have hit her head,” Baden said.

At the scene, a German Shepherd was found dead in a bathroom closet 3-4 meters away from Arakawa. Two live dogs were discovered in the residence. Detectives observed that “one of the two dogs was initially seen near the deceased female dog (inside the bathroom) and the other healthy dog ​​was seen outside the residence.”

Mr Baden said he was initially confused by the news of the dog’s death, thinking it had been set free in the house. That’s why he thought carbon monoxide poisoning was a good idea, since they were all breathing the same air. “But it turns out they said the dog was in a cage or kennel, and probably died of dehydration during the nine days it was in the kennel,” Mr Baden said.

According to Baden, his theory could explain why an emergency call was not made immediately after Hackman suffered a heart attack on February 17.

On February 26, a maintenance worker discovered Hackman’s body and Arakawa called 911.

On February 28, Chief Mendoza said the drugs found at the scene were “very important evidence” and had been turned over to the medical examiner. It was difficult to determine whether Hackman and his wife died at the same time or if one died before the other, but the timing was “pretty close,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza previously stated that toxicology tests were ordered on the Hackmans because the manner and cause of death had not yet been determined. He said the toxicology report could take up to three months or “possibly longer,” depending on “how busy the lab is.”

Mendoza said he was “pretty sure there was no foul play,” but did not rule out the possibility.

Gene Hackman was born in 1930, famous for films such as The French Connection , Bonnie and Clyde , The Royal Tenenbaums . Before retiring in 2004, he received two Oscars, two BAFTAs, and the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

Betsy Arakawa is the actor’s second wife, married in 1991. The couple took their last public photo together on March 28, 2024, Hackman holding his wife’s hand and holding a walking stick in the other.