Gene Hackman’s death ruled ‘suspicious’; no obvious signs of gas leak as investigation continues

Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in separate rooms in their Santa Fe home, according to a search warrant that rules their deaths as “suspicious.”

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 64, were found at their home in Santa Fe on Wednesday, alongside their dog. An investigation is underway into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

A search warrant says the deaths are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”

Deputies were called at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park, “where Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64 and a dog were found deceased,” the county sheriff’s public information officer, Denise Womack Avila, said in a statement.

Two maintenance workers said they found the front door of the home ajar and the couple dead inside, according to the search warrant. It states that deputies “did not observe any signs of forced entry into the home.”

Arakawa’s body was found on the floor of a bathroom. A space heater was near her head and a prescription bottle of pills was located on the counter, the warrant says.

The responding deputy believes the heater “could have fallen in the event the female abruptly fell to the ground.” The pills from the bottle were “scattered on the counter-top,” it says. A German Shepherd was found about 10 feet from her in a closet in the bathroom.

Hackman was found dead in a mud room near the kitchen, according to the warrant. It states that the deputy believes he may have suddenly fallen.

Two other dogs were found alive on the property; one was in the bathroom with Arakawa and the other was outside the home.

The sheriff’s office said foul play is not suspected at this time. The warrant notes that there were no obvious signs of forced entry into the home and nothing inside appeared out of place.

The fire department responded to the home and conducted testing to determine if there were signs of a possible carbon monoxide leak, but “did not locate signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning,” the warrant states.

New Mexico Gas Company, which provides natural gas service at the home, conducted testing on a gas line in and around the residence.

“As of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes,” the warrant says.

The gas company said it is assisting the sheriff’s office.

The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were not formally identified until 12:30 a.m. Thursday (2:30 a.m. ET).

Hackman had been airlifted to hospital after he was hit by a car while riding a bike in the Florida Keys in 2012, but escaped with minor injuries.

He won his first Oscar for his portrayal of detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s “The French Connection,” and later riveted audiences in Francis Ford Coppola’s paranoid thriller “The Conversation.” Later, he would play the villainous Lex Luther in “Superman.”

He won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award and two British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs).

He also landed Oscar nominations for his roles in “Bonnie & Clyde,” the character study “I Never Sang for My Father” and the divisive thriller “Mississippi Burning.”

He left Hollywood in 2004, making his final film appearance in the largely forgotten Ray Romano vehicle “Welcome to Mooseport.”