Veteran actor Gene Hackman likely passed away nine days before he and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were discovered in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home, according to county authorities. Reuters reported that Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza shared this information during a press conference on Friday.
A pathologist determined that the last recorded signal from the 95-year-old Oscar-winning actor’s pacemaker was on February 17, leading Mendoza to suggest that it was likely the day Hackman passed away. However, the official cause of death for both Hackman and Arakawa, 64, has not yet been confirmed.
“It is reasonable to assume that was his final day,” Mendoza told reporters.
Authorities ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning after conducting tests, but it remains unclear who passed away first, as the couple was found in separate rooms on Wednesday. Mendoza reaffirmed that foul play was not suspected.
Hackman and Arakawa had lived in Santa Fe since the 1980s, where they were well-known in the local arts and culinary communities. In recent years, the couple had maintained a more private lifestyle as Hackman’s health declined, Mendoza noted.
The couple’s caretaker discovered them after looking through a window and calling emergency services. Deputies later found Hackman in the kitchen, while Arakawa and a dog were located in a bathroom. Pills from an open prescription bottle were scattered on the bathroom counter.
Neither showed signs of blunt force trauma, and both appeared to have collapsed suddenly.
One door at the back of the house was slightly open, allowing two of the couple’s surviving dogs to move in and out freely, Mendoza stated.
Authorities have ordered a toxicology report on the medications found at the scene, considering it a significant piece of evidence. “This is a crucial part of the investigation,” Mendoza told NBC News, adding that results could take three months or longer.
Among the evidence collected from the home were heart and thyroid medications, a 2025 monthly calendar, two cell phones, and MyQuest health records, according to a police inventory.
Hackman, a former Marine known for his distinctive voice, had an illustrious career spanning over 80 films, as well as television and stage performances.
He received his first Academy Award nomination for his role as the brother of bank robber Clyde Barrow in the 1967 film “Bonnie and Clyde.” He won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1972 for his role as Detective Popeye Doyle in “The French Connection” and later earned an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1993 for “Unforgiven.”
