The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department is now investigating the deaths of Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa as “suspicious.”
As Slay News reported earlier, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actor, his wife, and their dog were all found dead in their New Mexico home.
Hackman was 95, and Arakawa was 63 when they died.
Their deaths were revealed early on Thursday morning after being discovered Wednesday.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office initially said there were no signs of foul play, according to local media reports.
Immediate speculation centered around the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, new information has emerged to indicate that authorities are investigating their deaths as “suspicious.”
Newly emerged evidence has also revealed that the couple had been dead for some time when they were discovered on Wednesday.
According to a search warrant that TMZ obtained, a Santa Fe detective expressed concerns in his affidavit that the circumstances surrounding the deaths warranted further investigation.
The detective wrote that he believed “the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
The detective noted that there were several unusual details at the scene.
Among the factors the detective cited were an unsecured and open front door, a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, and a deceased dog found in a bathroom closet about 10 to 15 feet from her body.
The affidavit also noted that the heater had been moved, and an open pill bottle with scattered pills was found next to Arakawa.
Hackman was also discovered in a separate room.
The detective confirmed that there were no obvious signs of a gas leak.
“Breaking this down … Gene’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in the bathroom on the ground near the countertop, lying on her right side,” TMZ reported.
“The deputy saw a black space heater near her head.
“The deputy believed the heater could have fallen in the event Betsy abruptly fell to the ground.
“The deputy also noticed an orange prescription bottle on the countertop, which was open, with pills scattered on the countertop.
“It appears she had been dead for some time because the body was in a state of decomposition with bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet.
“Gene was found in a separate room off the kitchen,” the outlet noted.
“He was fully clothed, and they suspected he may have suddenly fallen because his sunglasses were found next to his body.
“The fire department came and advised they did not see any signs of carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.”
The New Mexico gas company attended the scene and conducted testing on the gas lines in and around the house.
The company concluded:
“As of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated with the pipes in and around the residence.”
The deceased dog, a German Shepherd, was found 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa in a closet of the bathroom.
Two other dogs were found alive and healthy, one inside the house and another outside.
The bodies were reportedly discovered by two maintenance workers.
The workers said they hadn’t seen the couple in approximately two weeks.
When the maintenance workers arrived to discover the bodies, the front door was ajar, the workers told police.
However, the deputy says there were no signs of forced entry.
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