Legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife had been dead for “quite a while” before their bodies were found in separate rooms of their New Mexico home, authorities said Thursday, calling their deaths “suspicious.”
Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found at their Santa Fe home Wednesday, along with their dog. An investigation is underway.
A search warrant says the deaths are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
Preliminary findings from the medical examiners found no signs of external trauma, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said. The cause of death has yet to be determined; carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were requested for both Hackman and Arakawa.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday on NBC's "TODAY" show that information about pills found at the scene near Arakawa's body was collected and passed onto the office of the medical investigator to help determine the cause of death.
“That’s obviously very important evidence at the scene,” he said. “So yes, we’re looking at that specifically and other medications that were possibly in the residence. That is something of concern.”
He said toxicology reports can take up to three months or longer, adding, "We're hoping it comes sooner than later."
When asked if he was still confident there's no foul play he said, "I think I'm pretty confident there is no foul play just based on the lack of evidence of foul play, but we of course are not ruling that out." He said investigators are putting together a timeline of when the couple was last seen and talked to.
Hackman's family said in a brief statement Thursday that 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," they said.
Deputies were called at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park, the sheriff’s spokesperson, Denise Womack Avila, said in a statement.
Two maintenance workers said they found the front door of the home ajar and the couple dead inside, according to the search warrant. It says deputies “did not observe any signs of forced entry into the home.”
A man who identified himself as the subdivision's caretaker called 911 to report finding the bodies, the call audio showed. He told the dispatcher he would meet first responders at the gate because he didn't have an address for the house.
"I’m not inside the house. It’s closed. It’s locked," he told the dispatcher. "I can’t go in, but I see them. ... She’s laying down from the window."
He couldn’t answer questions about whether they were breathing or able to talk, according to the audio.
"Dude, they're not moving," the caller said. "Just send somebody out here really quick."
Arakawa’s body was found on the floor of a bathroom. A space heater was near her head and a bottle of prescription pills was on the counter, the warrant says.
The responding deputy believes the heater “could have fallen in the event the female abruptly fell to the ground,” the warrant says. The pills from the bottle were “scattered on the counter-top,” it says. A German shepherd was found about 10 feet from her in a closet in the bathroom.
Hackman was found dead in a mudroom near the kitchen, according to the warrant. It says the deputy believes he may have fallen suddenly.
Both bodies showed "obvious signs of death," the warrant says. Arakawa's also showed signs of "body decomposition."
Two other dogs were found alive on the property; one was in the bathroom with Arakawa, and the other was outside the home.
Sheriff Adan Mendoza had said that there are no obvious signs of foul play but that investigators aren't ruling anything out.
"It's not normal to find two people deceased in the residence," he said Thursday. "That's concerning. And then there was also a dog that was in a kennel that was also found deceased."
The fire department tested but “did not locate signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning,” the warrant says.
New Mexico Gas Co., which provides natural gas service to the home, conducted testing on a 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,” the warrant says.
The gas company said it is assisting the sheriff’s office.
Hackman's and Arakawa's bodies weren't formally identified until 12:30 a.m. Thursday (2:30 a.m. ET).
Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner, was known for his roles in the 1974 thriller “The Conversation,” 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde” and the 1971 crime drama “The French Connection,” which earned him his first Academy Award.
He would win his second Oscar in 1993 for “Unforgiven.”
Over his career, he earned four Golden Globes, two British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) and a Screen Actors Guild Award. His last movie was 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport.” He retired from on-screen acting that year.
