While the investigations proceed slowly, new hypotheses emerge on the tragic end of Gene Hackman, 95 years old, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65. According to the coroner Michael Baden, the actor was hit by a sudden cardiac arrest. The wife, in a desperate attempt to help him, could have fallen and beat his headlosing life. “Fox News” reports these revelations, which throw further light on the matter.
The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were found on February 26th last In their home in Santa Fe, in New Mexico. According to the Sheriff of the County, Adan Mendoza, the actor’s pacemaker would have passed away on February 17th, nine days before the discovery.
Family members hadn’t been news for some timeraising several questions. Why were they isolated? Why nobody had alarmed for their absence? And what really happened in that house?
The analysis of the medical examiner
Dr. Baden, who performed the autopsy, excluded signs of violence or intoxication from carbon monoxide. Hackman suffered from a chronic cardiac pathology and hypertension. The wife, found lifeless in the bathroom next to several packs of medicines, may have brought a fatal trauma back to the head after an accidental fall while trying to help him. Even their dog, a German shepherd, was found lifeless, probably because of dehydration.
The discovery of the bodies
On February 26, around 13:45 (local time), a maintenance officer called for help after finding the door open and noticed the Arakawa body through a window. When the police arrived, he found the scene even more disturbing: no sign of effort, but The advanced decomposition bodies. According to Mendoza, death could go back to several days before, perhaps even two weeks.
The investigations in progress
The authorities are evaluating several hypotheses, including murder, suicide or possible intoxication. However, the possibility of a violent death seems to have been excluded. Toxicological tests will be able to provide crucial responsesbut the results may take up to three months.
Investigators seized several drugs found in the house, including medicines for thyroid, pain relievers, hypertension treatments and health documents. The “Myquest” site, used to monitor the couple’s state of health, was also taken into consideration.
The last months of life
The last public appearance of Hackman and Arakawa dates back to March 28, 2024in a restaurant in Santa Fe. According to some friends, the actor’s health had worsened rapidly in recent times, while his daughter Leslie Hackman said that her father was still in good condition, practicing yoga and pilates regularly. However, he admitted that he has not hearding him for several weeks.
Arakawa had also moved away from her loved ones in recent months. The mother’s housekeeper says that he no longer called her since October, an unusual behavior for her. The mother, suffering from dementia, has already forgotten the news of her disappearance, but at the time of the discovery she was deeply upset.
With the investigations still in progress and many unanswered questions, the authorities are trying to reconstruct the last weeks of the couple’s life. It will be necessary to determine the real causes of the death, but the mystery around their death still remains dense.
