A new update has been revealed regarding Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths, which were confirmed in February.
It seems that the late Hollywood icon’s pacemaker had stopped tracking his heart movements more than a week prior to their bodies being discovered.
During a press conference on Friday, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza revealed, “An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on Feb. 17, 2025.”
Highlights
- Gene Hackman's pacemaker stopped tracking his heart movements on Feb. 17, 9 days before his body was discovered.
- Hackman's body was found in the kitchen, and there was speculation of a fall due to his nearby sunglasses.
- Their dog was found deceased in his crate, and an expert suspected dehydration; two other dogs survived.
Gene Hackman's pacemaker had stopped tracking his heart movements nine days before his body was found
Image credits: Vera Anderson / Getty
Their bodies were found nine days later — on the 26th.
“I was advised that a more thorough investigation will be completed,” he added.
With the new evidence, the sheriff said the pathologist who shared the preliminary findings with him at 2 pm local time on Friday believes Hackman’s last day alive was on February 17.
An official cause of death has not yet been confirmed and while no foul play was suspected, theories have been floating around pointing towards something strange.
Image credits: New York Daily News Archive/Getty
At first, Hackman’s daughter feared that carbon monoxide poisoning was to blame for the couple’s deaths. But Mendoza later revealed that “both individuals tested negative for carbon monoxide.”
It is also unclear whether Hackman or Arakawa died first, as officials are still trying to piece together the timeline.
Confirmation of their deaths were first announced on Wednesday at around 1:45pm local time.
“An individual arrived to perform maintenance on the residence, became concerned after receiving no answer and contacted neighborhood security to conduct a welfare check,” read a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office press release, which was obtained by Page Six.
“Security then checked on the residence and observed Hackman and Arakawa on the ground unresponsive through a window and called 911.”
The front door of their New Mexico home was unlocked.
No official cause of death has been released
Image credits: KOAT
A sheriff’s office spokesperson told the outlet that there didn’t seem to be any “criminal” activity involved but nothing had been “ruled out.” Their deaths were deemed “suspicious.”
It had been obvious that the two had been dead for some time, given the state their bodies were in when found by authorities.
Reportedly, Arakawa had begun to decompose, with “mummification” in her hands and feet, as well as “bloating in her face.” She was allegedly on the floor of the bathroom, with pills scattered all over the countertop.
For a while, carbon monoxide poisoning was seen as a possible cause of death
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“That’s obviously very important evidence,” Mendoza said on ‘Today.’ He added, “We’re looking at that specifically and other medications that were possibly in the residence. So that is something of concern.”
According to CNN’s reports, police had confiscated multiple medicines such as Tylenol and Diltiazem.
Hackman’s body was less reported on, but it’s said he was found on the ground in a separate room, near the kitchen. Theories suggest he may have fallen since his sunglasses were allegedly beside him.
Image credits: Inside Edition
One of the couple’s dogs had also been found deceased, and board-certified forensic pathologist Priya Banerjee told Page Six that the animal had died inside a crate in the closet, meaning it was likely dehydrated.
The two other canines who survived may have been in another area of the couple’s large house and remained unaffected.
Tributes poured in from the comments
