Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman was found dead alongside his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, and their dog in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Wednesday afternoon.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department revealed autopsies were 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. Authorities continue to investigate the couple’s deaths as official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending.
Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were ordered for both Hackman and his wife as the manner and cause of death have not been determined.
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 immediately rush to the New Mexico residence.
In the recording, the man can be heard telling the operator that he “found two or one deceased person[s] inside a house.”
“Please send somebody really quick,” the caller urged.
LISTEN: GENE HACKMAN 911 CALL
#GeneHackman and his wife were inside their home, not moving … and the sight of them got the 911 caller very emotional, #TMZ has learned. #Exclusive story HERE: https://t.co/cmMk4ZxIfp pic.twitter.com/t3tBH1y3jV
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 27, 2025
While the dispatcher called the paramedics, the man was heard crying and repeatedly said, “Damn.”
“[The house] is closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in,” he said. “But I see that she is lying down on the floor from the window.”
The caller told the dispatcher that Hackman and his wife were not “awake” or “alert.”
“No, dude, they’re not moving! Just send somebody out here really quick!” the man on the 911 call said with urgency.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference regarding the investigation on Thursday.
“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.
A search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital revealed that Hackman’s wife was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet.
Hackman was found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife.
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 over the phone. “He was a genuinely good-hearted person.”
Leslie said she had been “kind of mentally preparing” herself for his death because of his age, but she said it was “very shocking” to hear about his wife’s death because she was only 63.
“We don’t understand what happened,” she said.
Leslie said that their family is waiting to hear from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office about their causes of death, adding that authorities had told them that they had been in contact with the fire department about possible carbon monoxide poisoning, and they are waiting to hear back about that.
Detectives believe that the circumstances surrounding the death of Hackman and his wife are suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.
When two Santa Fe County patrol deputies arrived at the scene, they walked to the front of the residence and found the front door ajar. They did not observe any signs of forced entry into the home, according to the warrant.
After they entered the residence, they immediately observed a bathroom to the left of the front door. The door to the bathroom was opened, and they discovered the body of Hackman’s wife lying on the floor.
An orange prescription bottle was also found near Arakawa. The prescription bottle appeared open, with pills scattered on the countertop.
Police said she showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet.
The deceased dog was found near her body in a closet of the bathroom, but two healthy dogs were also on the property. One was running loose, while the other was seen near Arakawa’s body.
The warrant stated that there were “no obvious signs of a gas leak.”
Read search warrant affidavit.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed with Fox News Digital separately that the gas company and fire department additionally responded to make sure there were no toxic fumes that would endanger the deputies during their search.
The New Mexico Gas Co. is working with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation.
During their investigation, the sheriff did not discover any visible trauma on Hackman or his wife and said they could have been victims of a double homicide, suicide, accidental death or natural causes.
Hackman was 95 at the time of his death, and his wife 63.
Hackman’s daughters and granddaughter shared a statement to Fox News Digital regarding his death: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy. He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office told Fox News Digital early Thursday morning, “On February 26, 2025, at approximately 1:45 p.m., Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park, where Gene Hackman, 95 and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found deceased.”
Hackman was best known for his Oscar-winning performances in “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven.” He appeared as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
Hackman also had a breakout performance in “Bonnie and Clyde,” a comic interlude in “Young Frankenstein,” a turn as the comic book villain Lex Luthor in “Superman” and a leading role in Wes Anderson’s 2001 “The Royal Tenenbaums.”
“The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity,” Francis Ford Coppola, who wrote and directed the 1974 film “The Conversation” — which Hackman starred in — wrote on Instagram. “I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution.”
