Santa Fe officials are providing further details into the “suspicious” deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
After the couple’s bodies were discovered on Wednesday, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and Santa Fe’s fire chief Brian Moya shared more information about the ongoing investigation and said that Hackman and Arakawa could have been dead “up to a couple of weeks.”
“Just based on their bodies and other evidence on the body, it appears several days and possibly up to a couple weeks,” Sheriff Mendoza told the “Today” Show when asked when the deaths could have occurred.
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When asked whether Hackman and his wife died simultaneously or whether one passed before the other, the sheriff replied, “I think that’s very difficult to determine. I think it’s going to be pretty close.”
“You know, there’s no indication that anyone was moving about the house or doing anything different, so it’s very difficult to determine if they both passed at the same time or how close they passed together. We’re trying to put that information together and, obviously, with the assistance of the office of the medical investigator, I think the autopsy report is going to be the key to this investigation.”
He also stated, “We’re trying to put things together, a timeline when the decendents were last spoken to. Of course, we understand that is a challenge because they were very private individuals, and a private family, so we’re trying to put all that information together right now.”
According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, an orange prescription bottle was also found near Hackman’s wife. It appeared to be open, with pills scattered on the countertop.
When asked whether the prescription bottles could be related to the deaths, Sheriff Mendoza replied, “That’s obviously very important evidence at the scene. That information was collected . . . passed to the medical investigator to help them make a determination . . . yes, we’re looking at that specifically, and other medications possibly in the residence . . . that is something of concern.”
The Oscar-winning actor was found dead alongside his wife, a classical pianist, and their dog in their sprawling Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Wednesday afternoon.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department revealed that autopsies have been completed on both Hackman and his wife, in a press release shared with Fox News Digital Thursday afternoon. No external trauma was seen on either the actor or the musician.
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Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were ordered for both Hackman and his wife, as the manner and cause of death have not been determined.
Moya said at the time of the incident that his team had not determined anything that was “concerning” and declared that it was safe to investigate the home.
He noted that the home had natural gas, and that there could have been a carbon monoxide leak that had dissipated by the time officials arrived on the scene, but added that he had not found any evidence of an active leak.
“When we arrived, we made sure that our people, as well as the sheriff, were safe, and there was nothing that we found. We also went back yesterday to do another round of searches,” Moya told “Today.”
He continued to describe the layout of Hackman’s home, saying, “It was a very large home, it took a while for all of us to locate.”
Sheriff Mendoza confirmed that there were several doors that were “unlocked at the residence.”
“I believe the front door was closed but unlocked and unsecured. There was one door that was ajar and that was towards the rear of the residence that two of the dogs that survived were coming in and out of the residence . . . we’re not sure if that door was open upon the arrival of the emergency personnel,” he pointed out.
The Santa Fe sheriff said the toxicology report may take up to three months for results, or “possibly longer,” depending on how “busy the laboratory is.” Mendoza added that his team hopes the results come “sooner rather than later,” so questions can be answered and help their investigation, along with the manners and causes of death.
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Mendoza said that he is “pretty confident there is no foul play, just based on the lack of evidence of foul play.”
“But we, of course, we’re not ruling that out . . . the autopsy results, the official results will steer us in the right direction. That could change, obviously, and we’re not ruling that out. This is an open investigation. It’s a couple [of] days old. We’re putting together the timeline, we’re trying to figure out all the evidence . . . the autopsy is key, and that’s going to take some time.”
In the search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, officials revealed that Arakawa’s body had been 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.
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A harrowing 911 call, obtained by Fox News Channel, was made by a distressed maintenance worker after the man discovered the bodies of Hackman and his wife.
The employee frantically pleaded for police to rush to the New Mexico residence.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference regarding the investigation on Thursday.
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“A search warrant was executed just before 10 p.m. last night. They’ve been working diligently through the night and starting again in the morning to completely process the scene. We’re still in the preliminary steps of the investigation,” authorities said.
Hackman’s daughter Leslie told Fox News Digital on Thursday that although her father “was 95, he was in very good health,” adding that he did yoga and Pilates regularly.
Hackman said she hadn’t seen her father in a “few years,” only because he no longer traveled much, and she lives in California, but she said they were close and had “been in touch over the last couple of months.”
“I loved him dearly,” she said. “He was a genuinely good-hearted person.”
