While two-time Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found lifeless inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico, estate more than a week ago, authorities are still trying to determine what may have resulted in their deaths.
Emphasizing that there are no obvious signs of foul play, the local sheriff isn’t ruling anything out — calling their deaths “unusual.”
The timeline of events is murky. And the questions keep piling up. One of the biggest? The death of their dog, Zinn — a mixed breed, who was locked inside a crate.
The doctor who treated the couple’s dogs for years insisted that Hackman and his wife would “never” intentionally harm them.
Dr. Sherry Gaber, a chiropractor specializing in animals, told Newsmax that the couple were devoted dog owners.
“They would never, ever, ever put one of their dogs in harm’s way,” she said.
That only deepens the mystery of what really happened in their New Mexico home.
Investigators already have ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning. The answers now hinge on the full autopsy report, which could come any day.
What we do know:
- Hackman was found in a mudroom. His pacemaker’s last recorded activity? Feb. 17 — at least nine days before anyone even realized they were dead.
- His wife was discovered in the bathroom. Nearby, an open prescription bottle, scattered pills, and disturbing indications of “mummification in her hands and feet.
- Detectives have seized key evidence: thyroid and blood pressure medication, medical records, cellphones, and a day planner. Each item a potential clue to solving this case.
For a legendary actor like Hackman, his films have left an unforgettable mark on the public. But in Santa Fe, the local community is struggling to process the final chapter of him and his wife.
“We’re never going to have closure. I’m going to miss them so much,” Gaber said.
Jason Mattera is a New York Times bestselling author and an Emmy-nominated crime correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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