Gene Hackman dead at 95: Iconic actor and wife, 63, are found dead with their dog at Santa Fe home.

[BrianJohnson]

Not if they knew the person(s).

Not so sure, I had a Rottweiler once and me and my nephew were play fighting in the living room the dog went absolutely berserk, luckily it listened to me otherwise my nephew would have been dead, but if that had been an intruder not my nephew there would have been a dead intruder

 

[ttjo]

source:

Clue found by Gene Hackman's wife's body gives hint on how they died

The deaths of Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, have shocked Hollywood. Hackman was found in the mudroom, Arakawa in a bathroom, with spilled pills.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[friendlysleuther]

Not so sure, I had a Rottweiler once and me and my nephew were play fighting in the living room the dog went absolutely berserk, luckily it listened to me but if that had been an intruder not my nephew there would have been a dead intruder

Who said fighting, though? There was just someone who killed 3 people during Christmas with a Christmas cake (intentionally).. Cake doesn’t cause an argument unless you’re trying to lose weight

 

[friendlysleuther]

It doesn’t to me either. It’s too contrived. The property caretaker or groundskeeper would know which windows provide the best view to the inside. The windows on this type of architecture are very visually accessible.

You can tell if someone isn’t moving through a window. Then the way he says “to send someone soon”. Something is off with that. This guy knows something (in my opinion).

Since it’s established that they have been deceased for a while, why wouldn’t the active groundskeeper have seen them sooner? They are typically at the property regularly.

I don’t think he knows anything.. he was just asking for help.. he was crying in the call. He was traumatized

 

[friendlysleuther]

It doesn’t to me either. It’s too contrived. The property caretaker or groundskeeper would know which windows provide the best view to the inside. The windows on this type of architecture are very visually accessible.

You can tell if someone isn’t moving through a window. Then the way he says “to send someone soon”. Something is off with that. This guy knows something (in my opinion).

Since it’s established that they have been deceased for a while, why wouldn’t the active groundskeeper have seen them sooner? They are typically at the property regularly.

I tell you what. I was out searching for a missing person not very long ago.. One of the reasons I was out looking, is because I couldn’t fathom one of his children or family members finding him (presumed deceased).

Anyways, I was trying to mentally & emotionally prepare myself.. But, I can’t imagine if I had actually found him-
and what my response would have been- even after prepping myself.

 

[STAGNUM]

right, where was Betsy found again?

She was clothed.

 

[Deleted member 235284]

Can you overdose on those blood pressure pills?

It's possible to overdose on all those meds listed in the search warrant, Provided you take enough.

 

[friendlysleuther]

She was clothed.

She was found in the bathroom.

 

[Sarahlou]

I don't think Betsy took her own life. It just wouldn't make sense to me for a few reasons.

 

[Deleted member 235284]

I don't think Betsy took her own life. It just wouldn't make sense to me for a few reasons.

Yeah her location etc seems to make that unlikely. More likely she had a sudden medical event.

 

[STAGNUM]

I don’t think he knows anything.. he was just asking for help.. he was crying in the call. He was traumatized

Yes he was. Said Damn, over and over. I think he knew what happened.

 

[MassGuy]

Yeah her location etc seems to make that unlikely. More likely she had a sudden medical event.

If he was in bed then I'd at least be open to that. Both of them appeared to have been going about their business, when they collapsed.

I actually believe she died sometime before he did, and without her care he eventually died too.

 

[Lonicera]

An initial examination of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker revealed that “his last recorded activity was on February 17,” Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said at a press conference on Friday. It is therefore very likely that this was the actor’s “last day of life”. “This is a very good hypothesis,” he explained.
Gene Hackman, probablement mort plusieurs jours avant que son corps soit découvert, selon l’enquête

 

[Charlot123]

Can you overdose on those blood pressure pills?

That’s a good question. Potentially, yes, it is a calcium channel blocker. It doesn’t have so many side effects as beta-blockers but it may cause cardiovascular collapse of course. If there was no plan to OD but a person accidentally took a double dose (just forgot and took again), it can cause dizziness and contribute to a fall.

But I have noticed that there was a thyroid drug there, too. They didn’t mention whether it was for hyper- or hypothyroidism, but statistically, hypothyroidism is more common, and a woman suffering from it is more common.

So thyroid supplements became a true game-changer in the XX century, but sadly, in some people they can cause side effects such as anxiety and arrhythmia. Up to atrial fibrillation. With this in mind, if beta-blockers can’t be taken for a certain reason, cardizem can be prescribed for side effects.

To me, dropped pills means frantically grabbing for them…maybe there was a heart attack perceived as arrhythmia, or indeed a severe arrhythmia?

Arrhythmogenic deaths happen, at any age, and it would be the case when true reason for death would be almost impossible to detect. Or even impossible.

As to a 95-year old man, maybe he just fell in the mudroom, or at least people can die accidentally at this age.

 

[TristanP]

No chance whatsoever of an intruder being responsible for their deaths, nor food poisoning, if it was an intruder the other 2 dogs would have ripped the intruder apart, GSD’s are fiercely protective of their owners

As she died not in the main bathroom but another one where the dog was I am thinking the dog hadn’t been well and she was checking in on the dog, giving the dog medication, the heater fell off and killed her by hitting her on the head, Gene may have been in the garden as he had sunglasses, hears a crashing sound goes inside and in a rush to get to her/find her, moving quicker than normal he falls over in the room he died in

I'd like to hear from someone who knew them and their dogs as to what the dogs' temperaments were like. It's hard to say how they would have reacted without knowing more about them.

As for the space heater, unless they had a really old one, it's highly unlikely it would have weighed enough to kill someone by falling off a counter. I have a small one I use in my bathroom, and it probably wouldn't even leave a bruise on me because it is so light.

 

[Ghostwheel]

(Food poisoning is my guess)

I will also bite. Why food poisoning rather than, say, double heart attack?

 

[PinkButtercup]

From the known facts, I think Betsy having some kind of accident or medical episode and a panicked Gene rushing in from outside to get to her and falling seems the most plausible scenario.

 

[Kemug]

I must say, I have never known or heard about a 63 year old woman killing herself because her 95 year old husband died. It seems very unlikely to me. Surely after a while she would pick herself up and get on with the rest of her life - do a bit of travelling, join a bridge club, whatever.

 

[TristanP]

If he was in bed then I'd at least be open to that. Both of them appeared to have been going about their business, when they collapsed.

I actually believe she died sometime before he did, and without her care he eventually died too.

The search warrant said their signs of death/decomp were similar, which wouldn't indicate one died significantly before the other.

Was he suffering from dementia? Can't imagine him just leaving his dead wife on the floor in the bathroom and going about his life as usual otherwise.

 

[TristanP]

I will also bite. Why food poisoning rather than, say, double heart attack?

I'm not the person you quoted, but considering their age differences, having spontaneous heart attacks at the same time (meaning, not caused by medication/toxic gas etc) is incredibly unlikely. Food poisoning (I don't have an opinion on this personally) would make more sense because if they ingested the same toxins, it would have killed them both in a similar time frame.

Editing to add: food poisoning could also be what killed the dog.