Gene Hackman death investigation: Experts raise theories to how star died

New Mexico authorities launched an investigation into the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, after officials found the couple dead in their Santa Fe home nearly one week ago.

While Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were found under what detectives are calling “suspicious” circumstances, officials confirmed no external trauma was seen on either Hackman or Arakawa and the case remains open pending autopsy and toxicology results. 

Detectives recovered two cellphones, an orange prescription bottle and a 2025 planner while inspecting the residence, according to the search warrant inventory list obtained by Fox News Digital. 

Former FBI investigator Bill Daly explained to Fox News Digital why every piece of evidence will play a crucial role in determining when and how Hackman and his wife died.

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“After receiving the cell phones, investigators can determine when they stopped moving, when they lost communication, which can tell the time of disablement or death,” Daly said. 

Daly noted that investigators are likely looking at “when the pacemaker signal stopped working” to get a better indication of Hackman’s date of death.

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“They can do geolocating around the property to see what was pinging around that time, though they won’t be able to tell who without a warrant, but can tell what activity there was before and afterward, even if they’re not suspecting foul play,” he said. 

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa married in 1991. (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

“Toxicology – there could have been some other type of poisoning, possibly food? They’ll go through their trash, fridge … this is stuff the police can do in the meantime while gathering evidence. There are a number of possibilities.”

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Hackman and Arakawa tested negative for carbon monoxide, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed at Friday’s press conference. Their residence was tested for the colorless, odorless gas and was cleared by the Santa Fe City Fire Department after authorities found no evidence of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.

Mendoza confirmed the last recorded activity on Hackman’s pacemaker occurred on Feb. 17. Authorities assumed this was Hackman’s last day alive, as the Oscar-winner’s body was not discovered for nine more days.

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“According to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life,” Mendoza said during the press conference.

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Hackman and Arakawa were found by maintenance workers Jesse Kesler and Roland Lowe Begay. Kesler, who worked as a personal contractor for the couple for 16 years, made the frantic 911 call on Feb. 26.

“They’ll take a look at the surrounding community,” Daly said of the gated community where Hackman and Arakawa lived. “They could tell if there was movement in and out of the property after they passed away. There could be some cameras in and around their house to look at just to piece it together.”

Peter Valentin, certified senior crime scene analyst, questioned if the postmortem interval – which is the amount of time, or length of time, between death and discovery – was the same for Hackman and his wife.

Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman in Santa Fe, N.M., on Feb. 27, 2025. Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in the home a day earlier. (AP Photo/Roberto Rosales)

The entrance to the gated community where actor Gene Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead in their home is shown in Santa Fe, N.M., on Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Roberto Rosales)

In a search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, officials revealed that Arakawa’s body was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Hackman was also found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife. 

“There was something about the way that his wife was described in the bathroom that I think is worth looking into a bit more,” Valentin said. “And she was in the bathroom. I guess there was a space heater, and there were some pills that seemed to be strewn, and I don’t know where, if that space heater was turned on. That might change the way her decomposition looks.”

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Valentin noted that “having a heat source close to the remains really does change decomposition rate.”

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were discovered dead in their home in Santa Fe, N.M. (urschke/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

“Mummification occurs when you have heat and low humidity, and so that’s exactly what you’ll get when you have a body decomposing next to a source of heat, like a heater or like a radiator,” he said.

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“However, if the suggestion is that she fell and had some kind of accident, there would have been some kind of evidence of an injury relative to that fall, a perimortem injury. So she would have had head trauma. She would have had a hemorrhage, you know, a brain hemorrhage. She would have had contusions. There would have been evidence of an injury. And the pathologist would have seen that. So the absence of injury is noteworthy.”

Valentin said authorities likely “counted the pills” found near her body and checked when the prescription was filled to work backward and find a dosing schedule to rule out possible theories.

WATCH: SANTA FE COUNTY SHERIFF ADAN MENDOZA DISCUSSES DEATHS OF GENE HACKMAN AND BETSY ARAKAWA

“The thinking is the pills were consumed intentionally, and this is an overdose or something like that,” Valentin said. “If those are intentional acts, a person doesn’t really fall on the floor in a living space. They tend to lay down, sit down, you know, they know what they’re doing. They know what’s going to happen, and they prepare for that. 

“That’s not what you see in both situations … the fact that the pills, if they fell, or if the pill container was open, doesn’t necessarily mean it has to do with anything. It could have just been open.”

He added, “So you want to kind of entertain both versions of that scenario. They’re related, they’re coincidental, and you’ll eventually get information later to help you figure that out. But for now, work it two ways.”

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