Officials to give update on Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa death investigation: What to know
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(NEXSTAR) – The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is planning to share an update concerning its investigation into the mysterious deaths of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa.

A media conference with Sheriff Adan Mendoza has been scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. local time. Mendoza will be joined by representatives from the state medical investigator’s office and the state health department, and local fire officials “will also be in attendance,” a news release indicated.

The sheriff’s office said no new information will be released to the media, or the public, until that time.

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26. Hackman was found on the floor of the home’s mudroom alongside a walking cane and sunglasses, and Arakawa was found on a bathroom floor near a space heater. One of their dogs was discovered dead nearby.

An open prescription bottle was also found near Arakawa’s body, with pills scattered on the bathroom countertop.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa arrive for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, in January 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

A responding deputy said he believed Hackman and Arakawa may have both fallen abruptly based on the position of the items found near their bodies, according to an affidavit. He observed no “immediate” signs of trauma, the document indicated.

The bodies did, however, show signs of decomposition, bloating and, at least in Arakawa’s case, “mummification” of her hands, the deputy said.

“Affiant believes that the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” reads a portion of the affidavit.

An investigation later determined that Hackman’s pacemaker had registered its last activity on Feb. 17, indicating the couple likely died over a week before they were discovered.

Gene Hackman
Santa Fe County deputies are pictured on Feb. 27, 2025, outside of the Santa Fe house where Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead the day before. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)

Officials initially noted in the search warrant affidavit that there were no issues with the gas pipes and no signs of a carbon monoxide leak at the home. Sheriff Mendoza later said at a Feb. 28 news conference that both Hackman and Arakawa tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning.

The New Mexico Gas Company, earlier this week, said its investigators had identified five “red tags” (i.e., safety concerns) at Hackman and Arakawa’s home, though none were “believed to be a factor in the deaths,” the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said. One of those red tags was issued due to a “minuscule” gas leak stemming from a stove burner, but it was not a lethal amount, officials said.

Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films including “The French Connection,” “Hoosiers” and “Superman” from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

Arakawa, born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist, attended the University of Southern California and met Hackman in the mid-1980s while working at a California gym.

Hackman dedicated much of his time in retirement to painting and writing novels far from Hollywood’s social circuit. He served for several years on the board of trustees at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and he and his wife were investors in local businesses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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