Gene Hackman Was Likely Dead for 9 Days Before His Body Was Found: Sheriff

Mar. 15, 2025

Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman.Photo:Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Gene Hackman’s pacemaker was last operational on Feb. 17, the Santa Fe County Sheriff said Friday afternoon, suggesting the Oscar-winning actor had been dead for nine days before he and his wife,Betsy Arakawa, were discovered in their New Mexico home.

“I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life,” Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters at a press conference on Friday, Feb. 28.

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were each discovered dead at their palatial Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, as was a German Shepherd they owned. The circumstances around their deaths remain unclear and mysterious.

Arakawa was found in the bathroom, next to a space heater and an open bottle of pills, according to the affidavit. Her body showed signs of “mummification,” which suggests she had likely been dead for some time. Hackman’s body showed similar “obvious signs of death.”

Two other dogs were found alive on the compound.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

As for who died first, Hackman or Arakawa, Mendoza said it is “a very hard thing to determine.”

While Hackman’s family initially believed the couple may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, that has now beenruled out, Mendoza said, as they tested negative for the compound.

Hackman was a two-time Academy Award winner, receiving a Best Actor Oscar forThe French Connectionand one for Best Supporting Actor inUnforgiven.Arakawa was a classical pianist. The pair married in 1991.

source: people.com