Sad News: Actor Gene Hackman, His Wife, and Their Dog Found Dead at Home—Authorities Fear They Used Something…

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday afternoon

The bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa showed no signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to an affidavit from a Santa Fe, N.M., detective who was seeking a search warrant for their home.

“Santa Fe City Fire Department responded to the location and conducted testing to determine if there were signs of a possible carbon monoxide leak (or poisoning). [An official] advised the fire department did not locate signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning,” the affidavit, which was obtained by PEOPLE, states.

“New Mexico Gas Company responded to the residence and was conducting active testing on the gas line in and around the residence. As of now there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence,” the affidavit continues.

Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home on the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 27, and their bodies were identified at 12:30 a.m. Thursday. One of their dogs was also found deceased nearby.

In a 911 call obtained by TMZ, the maintenance person who first spotted their bodies requested immediate help after saying he’d seen two people through a window who were not moving inside the couple’s home. He could not identify the deceased parties’ ages or genders.

New Mexico authorities believe the bodies may have been in the home for at least a day before they were discovered. Neither Hackman nor Arakawa showed any clear signs of trauma.

Still, the Santa Fe detective who sought the search warrant believed the couple’s deaths were “suspicious,” citing an open pill bottle and pills scattered near the bodies and the fact that the door to the home was left ajar.

Arakawa was found lying on her side in a bathroom, with a space heater near her body, according to the affidavit. A deceased German Shepherd was found about 10-15 feet from Arakawa, while two other healthy dogs were also found on the property.

Arakawa’s body “was in a state of decomposition with bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet.”

Hackman, meanwhile, was “fully clothed” with his sunglasses found near his body, indicating that he may have fallen down.

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Hackman was a legendary screen actor with roles in The French Connection, Superman and The Royal Tenenbaums. Hackman shared three children with his first wife Faye Maltese — Christopher Allen Hackman, 63, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, 61, and Leslie Ann Hackman, 57. 

The actor was a five-time Oscar nominee — and two-time winner. He had a diverse career with roles in the 1998 animated film Antz and the 1996 comedy The Birdcage. He retired from acting after 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport.

Arakawa, who was reportedly born in Hawaii in the early ’60s, avoided the spotlight and was a classical pianist and an entrepreneur. For years she’d served as co-owner of a Santa Fe-based home furnishings store, per The New York Times

The couple were married in 1991.

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