Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy were dead for at least a day, police not ruling out suicide: Report
Actor Gene Hackman was found dead at his home along with his wife and his dog on Thursday. Authorities are still investigating the case.
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their New Mexico home on Thursday. While the cause of death is currently unknown, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza shared that they are not ruling anything out. Also read: Did Gene Hackman and wife die of carbon monoxide poisoning? Internet speculates after couple found dead in New Mexico
Nothing ruled out
As per TMZ, the Santa Fe County Sheriff has shared that he is not ruling anything out in the deaths of Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa and their dog. He also revealed that his deputies even got a search warrant in case the investigation turns criminal.
“The deputies on Wednesday responded to the compound of Hackman and Arakawa after receiving a call, and they initially entered the house only to find the bodies of the couple and one of their 3 dogs -- 2 others survived,” shared Adan.
Once they found the dead bodies, according to Adan, the deputies backed out of the house and applied for a warrant to conduct a more thorough search. “It is customary during death investigations to seek a warrant on the assumption they may find evidence of a crime, which shows they're following standard procedure,” the report stated.
Adan said the gas company and fire department were also called in to check if there were toxic fumes “that would endanger the deputies during their search”.
According to Adan, the bodies had been there for “at least a day”, and he did not rule anything out. Although no visible trauma was discovered, Adan said that they “could have been victims of a double homicide, suicide, accidental death, or natural causes”.
At the moment, Adan was unclear what would happen with the two surviving dogs.
Gene Hackman’s death
Gene was found dead in his Santa Fe home with his wife, classical musician Betsy Akaway and their dog on Thursday. He was 95. He was a frequent presence on the screen from the 1960s till his retirement with the 2004 political satire. Welcome To Mooseport. Gene was an intense character actor who won Academy Awards for the violent 1971 drug saga The French Connection and the 1992 western Unforgiven. One of the rare Hollywood stars to get critical acclaim in independent films and appear in blockbusters, to a generation, he was also known for playing Lex Luthor in the original Superman films starring Christopher Reeve.
