Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, appeared to have been dead for “some time” when her body was found in the couple’s Santa Fe, New Mexico home, according to a report from TMZ.
Arakawa was 64 at the time of her death, and Hackman, whose body was found in a separate room, was 95.
Police told the outlet that Arakawa’s body was “in a state of decomposition” with a bloated face and mummification in her hands and feet after a pair of maintenance workers found her and her husband’s bodies on Wednesday, February 26. The workers said they had not seen the couple in approximately two weeks.
They also found the body of one of the couple’s dogs, a german shepherd, 10 to 15 feet away from her. Two other dogs were found in the home, alive and healthy, according to a police affidavit obtained by TMZ.
Arakawa was found in her bathroom next to a countertop. Authorities found an open prescription bottle with pills “scattered on the countertop” and a black space heater next to her body that appeared to have fallen.
TMZ also reported that Hackman was found in a room off the kitchen and that sunglasses found near his body indicate he may have fallen suddenly.
Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991. An initial investigation revealed no signs of foul play, though a cause of death has not been determined. Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth told TMZ she suspects they were victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. (In addition to Elizabeth, Hackman shared kids Christopher and Leslie with late ex-wife Faye Maltese.)
“On February 26, 2025, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched 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 Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement shared with Luxury Handbag Shopping. “Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time, however, [the] exact cause of death has not been determined.”
The Santa Fe fire department did not immediately find any indications of carbon monoxide poisoning and the New Mexico gas company told TMZ that, “As of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence.”
There were also no signs of forced entry. Law enforcement has reportedly deemed Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths “suspicious” and, as of Thursday morning, police are awaiting approval of a search warrant to continue their investigation.
