Gene Hackman, the two-time Academy Award-winning actor known for roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven, was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Wednesday. Authorities have yet to determine a cause of death, but investigators have deemed the circumstances "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation."
A maintenance worker discovered the bodies after noticing the home's front door was open. According to a 911 call transcript, he reported seeing Arakawa, 63, lying on the floor through a window but was unable to gain entry. When Santa Fe County deputies arrived, they found Hackman, 95, in the entryway and his wife next to a space heater in a bathroom. Investigators noted pills scattered near an open prescription bottle on the countertop. The body of a deceased German shepherd was discovered in a bathroom closet, while two other dogs were found alive on the property.
Authorities have not identified any signs of foul play, and no external trauma was observed on either Hackman or Arakawa. However, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office confirmed that an autopsy and toxicology report are pending. The New Mexico Gas Co. inspected the property for gas leaks but found no indications of a problem. Toxicology tests will determine if carbon monoxide poisoning was a factor, according to Dr. Michael Baden, former chief medical examiner of New York City. "It looks like they died of some kind of toxicity," Baden said. "I think carbon monoxide is the first thing they have to look for in the autopsy because if it's carbon monoxide in the body, it wouldn't go away."
A search warrant affidavit revealed that Arakawa's body was already showing signs of decomposition, with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Hackman exhibited similar signs. Investigators are examining environmental factors, including the temperature inside the home, to estimate how long the couple had been dead. "Was the house really hot? Did they have a lot of clothes on? The heat can get the bodies into those stages faster," said former NYPD cold case investigator Joseph Giacalone.
Forensic death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan noted that while investigators found pills scattered near Arakawa's body, it remains unclear whether they were ingested. "Pills being scattered about and pills being ingested are completely different," Morgan said, adding that testing for carbon monoxide poisoning in the couple and their deceased dog would be critical.
Hackman, a revered Hollywood figure, rose to fame in the 1960s and delivered acclaimed performances in The French Connection, Superman, and Hoosiers. He won his first Academy Award for Best Actor in The French Connection (1971) and another Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Unforgiven (1992). He retired from acting in the early 2000s and spent his later years in Santa Fe, where he pursued painting and writing novels.
Tributes from the entertainment industry poured in following news of his passing. Director Francis Ford Coppola and actor Bill Murray, who worked with Hackman on The Royal Tenenbaums, expressed their admiration. "He was a great one. He was a great actor," Murray said. Actor Cary Elwes called Hackman a "force of nature," while Steve Toussaint highlighted the depth of his talent. "Everything you ever wanted to learn about acting can be found in any of Hackman's performances," Toussaint wrote on Instagram.
Arakawa, a classically trained pianist born in Hawaii, studied music in Honolulu before attending the University of Southern California. She worked as a production assistant on Card Sharks and was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Aztecs soccer team before meeting Hackman at a California gym in the mid-1980s. The couple later moved to Santa Fe, where she became vice president of Pandora's, a home decor store.
The couple's home, a sprawling Southwestern-style ranch, was featured in Architectural Digest in 1990. The 8,700-square-foot estate sits on six acres and offers views of the Rocky Mountains. Hackman was occasionally seen around Santa Fe, with his last widely reported public sighting occurring in 2023.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths. While no conclusions have been drawn, forensic experts emphasize the importance of toxicology results in determining the cause. "They'll do full-body X-rays, they'll do exhaustive external examinations before they ever do a full autopsy," Morgan said.
The case remains open pending further forensic analysis.
