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

[STAGNUM]

I am going with a Carbon Monoxide theory. I am trying to locate snow pack history for their specific enclave. At that altitude things become quite localized and sporadic. Knowing time of death plus snow pack might indicate that the ventilation was blocked for a furnace. There house was quite old and was remodeled to their whims, which can mean it did not meet code or had a defect in ventilation. It sounds like they were DIY type re-modelers from old reports. Even without snow pack, a bad ventilation system can leak CO if the atmospheric pressure and convection are not in synch.

I once looked at buying a house where the realtor disclosed the husband had died cutting a tree in front yard. Sure enough there was a memorial with candles out front. But when i went into the crawlspace I found the furnace vent was largely a horizontal run and quite rusted. Did he die in the house? Or was he brain damaged, and incompetent working with a chain saw? The house was a nope. we did not buy it. It also smelled of dog feces galore in the garage. The furnace could be fixed, the smell, not so much...

Back to the scene, GH by the open door indicates he was trying to ventilate the house. BA on her side in bathroom with pills scattered could be a red herring. Maybe she thought she had a huge headache and was grabbing meds. Some migraine meds are pretty strong, controlled meds and CO poisoning might mimic a bad migraine.

Dog caged in closet? Who needs a yapping dog when you think your head is going to explode with a headache. There is always a suicide angle, but generally there will be a note and this does not sound like murder-suicide from the reports. I think this is a tragic CO poisoning and it will be very hard to duplicate the cause without extensive testing. Very sad for all involved. He was a great actor and a funny guy.

 

[crhedBngr]

Well, you never know If they had three dogs, they may have had a need to do some separating. Sometimes dog's don't all get along and you need to keep them apart. I haven't had to do this, but I know it happens and they will trade out time in the kennel. It also could be due to one recovering from a surgery, illness or even treatment and needs to be kept calm. Of course, we have no idea but these are a few things that come to mind.

RBBM

Yes, very true.

Our neighbors had 3 German Shepherds; one was usually found in a kennel because she was more aggressive.

JMVHO.

 

[Moonsie]

Brief press conference in first few minutes with the Sheriff - he doesn't say much except that deceased dog was in a 'kennel or crate...'. @5:30

Very helpful, @Cedars. Thank you for posting.

Notably foul play is not ruled out.

moo.

 

[Cedars]

the way they explained in one article ...he died in the mud room and had his glasses next to him...that leaves the pills, did she try to get some for him? and did not make it? but why...that leaves the dog and open front door...actually they describe the front door as not being totally open but ajar...also the mummification bothers me...her hands and face and parts of his body...im waiting for the pills, what were they and what were they for...this smells!

The sheriff mentioned a dog door.

IMO while someone was calling 911 saying he was locked out, someone else may have crawled through the dog door to check, then left when it was clear they were dead.

 

[Fabled Automatic]

I am going with a Carbon Monoxide theory. I am trying to locate snow pack history for their specific enclave. At that altitude things become quite localized and sporadic. Knowing time of death plus snow pack might indicate that the ventilation was blocked for a furnace.

I have never been to Santa Fe but, does it snow there?

 

[STAGNUM]

Brief press conference in first few minutes with the Sheriff - he doesn't say much except that deceased dog was in a 'kennel or crate...'. @5:30

Early in the video it is mentioned that the person finding them was doing pest control at the home. This opens a question as to what kind of chemicals used and how applied.

 

[ekc]

The sheriff mentioned a dog door.

IMO while someone was calling 911 saying he was locked out, someone else may have crawled through the dog door to check, then left when it was clear they were dead.

but the frony door was ajar, enough that the workers were able to open and go in...

 

[IceIce9]

The front door was reportedly open when LE arrived. I would guess the two living dogs could come and go from the residence.

One report said when police arrived the two surviving dogs were outside the residence.

JMO since I don’t have the link at the moment.

 

[Knox]

and I think that whatever those pills are determined to be will be a big piece of this puzzle.

And who they belonged too.

I can see Gene's death being a health crisis - heart attack, etc. But Betsy at 64, looked very heathy back in December and is said to be very health concious. For me, that's the mystery.

I don't suspect foul play or M/S, I'll wait for the offical COD.

Gene Hackman revealed thoughts on death before body found with wife

The two-time Oscar winner, who turned 95 last month, was discovered alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, at their mansion in the US state of New Mexico.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[CityKid]

the way they explained in one article ...he died in the mud room and had his glasses next to him...that leaves the pills, did she try to get some for him? and did not make it? but why...that leaves the dog and open front door...actually they describe the front door as not being totally open but ajar...also the mummification bothers me...her hands and face and parts of his body...im waiting for the pills, what were they and what were they for...this smells!

BBM. In this story, the caretaker/maintenance person called 911 from outside because the door was locked. "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.""

Gene Hackman and wife were 'deceased for quite a while' before bodies were discovered as deaths called 'suspicious'

The sheriff said there were no obvious signs of foul play, but authorities aren't ruling anything out as the investigation continues.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[steeltowngirl]

I think it's not so much the wife/stepmother, it's more the seemingly lack of feeling that she had passed away.
I'm waiting for someone to mourn her loss.

We can here! A little about Betsy:

But long before meeting the actor, Arakawa, a Hawaii native, was an accomplished young pianist. While attending Kahala Elementary School, Arakawa, then 11 years old, performed for 9,000 children at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall, according to a 1971 Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper article.

Arakawa moved to Los Angeles after high school, where she attended the University of Southern California. During her time there, she juggled going to classes, working as a production assistant on popular classic television game show “Card Sharks,” and cheerleading for the now-defunct professional soccer team, the Los Angeles Aztecs, according to a 1981 issue of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

She continued performing on occasion, once giving a piano concert at the Altenheim Geriatric Center in Chicago, which was featured in Hackman’s 1989 action thriller film “The Package,” according to a Chicago Tribune article from that year.

Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman's wife, was a businesswoman, former pianist and decades-long companion

Arakawa, 64, was found dead with Hackman and the couple’s dog in their New Mexico home, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[SMK777]

Authorities have labeled the deaths as "suspicious".
According to investigators, the scene was "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation" after several things were found at the scene,
including the front door open and unlocked, a healthy dog "running loose on the property," another "healthy dog" found near Arakawa and the dead dog and moved heater found near the actor's wife.

Gene Hackman, wife's deaths 'suspicious': Grim details emerge in search warrant

A search warrant includes new details about the death of actor Gene Hackman that law enforcement officers call "suspicious."

www.usatoday.com

So the front door ajar, unlocked; the dog and space heater [not to mention the pills] marked this scene as officially suspicious to investigators.

 

[Friday Fan]

I have never been to Santa Fe but, does it snow there?

Yes, but I don't know if I would consider "snow pack" an issue. More like "snows and melts".

 

[SMK777]

DBM

 

[steeltowngirl]

Early in the video it is mentioned that the person finding them was doing pest control at the home. This opens a question as to what kind of chemicals used and how applied.

Good question. There have been past deaths associated with pesticide applications IIRC, at resorts in the Bahamas and Dominican.

 

[DS2021]

If the affidavit doesnt mention a crate, id assume there likely isnt one. That closet may not have had a door either

 

[whitelilac]

A bit of confusion regarding the "ajar" door.
911 caller stated door was locked. Was there a back door or other exterior door attached to the mud room?
Also, Betsy was found in the bathroom. 911 caller could see her. Does that bathroom have a window low enough for him to be able to see her?
Also, he sees THEM, though that may not necessarily mean both. If Gene was in the mudroom, wasn't it stated that THAT door was the one ajar?

Regardless, these are not important questions under the circumstances.

 

[CityKid]

I have never been to Santa Fe but, does it snow there?

Yes. There are several ski resorts in northern NM. My bf lived there for a while and he said he's seen snow as late as early June (although it melted within a few hours). GH and BA's house is about 12 miles from the ski basin.

 

[Friday Fan]

Early in the video it is mentioned that the person finding them was doing pest control at the home. This opens a question as to what kind of chemicals used and how applied.

Lots of people have pest control services! Where they live, there are also "critter" issues, especially winter. It can be kind of a constant thing. Most chemicals are fairly safe, when applied as labeled and more toxic to animals than people and two dogs survived. I do my own pest control and use stronger chemicals than the pest control people used because I live in a hot humid place. (Huge roaches)

The Santa Fe mountains probably doesn't have too much of an insect problem. I really don't think an inhaled pesticide caused their deaths. It would have to be really strong.

 

[armchairagatha]

And who they belonged too.

I can see Gene's death being a health crisis - heart attack, etc. But Betsy at 64, looked very heathy back in December and is said to be very health concious. For me, that's the mystery.

I don't suspect foul play or M/S, I'll wait for the offical COD.

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Gene Hackman revealed thoughts on death before body found with wife

The two-time Oscar winner, who turned 95 last month, was discovered alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, at their mansion in the US state of New Mexico.

www.dailymail.co.uk

She was 64. Old enough for sudden death due to heart attack which is what I think unfortunately happened here, leading to the death of Gene and the dog (that seemed to have been locked in a crate) under her care. A 95 year old is like a baby in that they need care and without a caretaker or an emergency alerting service, are unlikely to survive for too long on their own. A fall (which is what seems to have happened to Gene) is enough to incapacitate and eventually kill them if help doesn't arrive in time. JMO.