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

[branmuffin]

There's so many scenarios regarding how this couple died. A lot of them make sense when it's related to things like carbon monoxide poisoning but what I don't get is a dog locked in a closet and two more running free while the door is wide open with two dead people inside the house.

The closet has been referred to as a kennel, too, but a kennel and a closet are light years away from one another. A kennel can be a safe place for a new addition to the family until the dog is integrated into the group. It could be the animal was ill and was being isolated from the other dogs. But a closet? A closet is a whole different ball of wax. Did the dog have behavioral issues. Was is some kind of punishment? Did the dog do something to either one of the deceased people? Was the dog put in the closet to protect it?

The pills lying on the floor around GH wife - were they her pills or GHs. He looked frail in those images from late last year. And I heard they had become reclusive. Was GH suffering from dementia? Was it a suicide pact gone very wrong and the dog accidently got caught in the closet when the wife fell? Would the autopsies be able to ascertain the time frame of either death to establish a time frame between the deaths?

If they lived in a fairly isolated area how did the dogs survive? Are they capable of hunting for food? I don't think my dog would have been.

Gene Hackman was an amazing actor. The first time I saw him was in Bonnie and Clyde and I think he was robbed of an Oscar. His character was a terrifying cross between the local guy spending his days in the hardware store yukking it up with his buddies telling jokes and the next minute blowing away cops. I loved him in The Conversation a really taut drama about an intensely private man whose occupation, ironically, is a private surveillance operator who finds more than he bargained for. And of course Unforgiven.

I hope the family gets some closure.

 

[Moonsie]

Garages were detached per property records.

Source: SFC Assessor: Property Assessment & Tax Information

moo.

 

[NuttMegg]

I do not understand the dead one in the bathroom closet... maybe they kept replacing the original 3 ?

Protected because of recent vet procedure or illness? Unspayed pet in heat. To be mated to pure breed? Do we know if it was female?

 

[ttjo]

Ms Arakawa appears petite. And yes GSD are huge. I hadn't thought about him getting run over by a dog, maybe 2.

But it has happened to me twice, exuberant big mascotas jumping on me from behind, in fun. Me falling flat on my face.

Would be much more force if they were feeling fear.

and Gene Hackman used a cane, as seen in the photos of him out for dinner with his wife a few weeks ago. I guess it was a year ago

Gene Hackman, wife Betsy enjoyed dinner in last public sighting together — year before they were found dead in their New Mexico home

The Hollywood legend, 95, and classical pianist, 63, were pictured together for the last time on March 28, 2024.

nypost.com

 

[NuttMegg]

and Gene Hackman used a cane, as seen in the photos of him out for dinner with his wife a few weeks ago.

Yeah. A cane was found by him, iirc. Maybe a dog just knocked his cane away.

 

[Moonsie]

Affidavit in support of search warrant states male had “suddenly fallen” based on Deputy’s training and experience.

The language used for the female victim is more vague (“could have fallen”). She’s also laying on her side. Assuming carbon monoxide poisoning, she may have been nauseous and laying on the floor before she died?

eta: moo.

 

[whitelilac]

Protected because of recent vet procedure or illness? Unspayed pet in heat. To be mated to pure breed? Do we know if it was female?

Yes I believe she was female. I read an NBC article where HER crate was mentioned.

edit. just looked at NBC....no mention, sorry, I read it elsewhere, Ill try to find it.

eta . can't find it, so disregard I guess.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

Protected because of recent vet procedure or illness? Unspayed pet in heat. To be mated to pure breed? Do we know if it was female?

I don't think we know the kennel door was closed. It could easily have just been the dog's safe space where it went when it didn't feel well.

Also, it's occurred to me that if this is the second set of GSDs they've had, starting in 1999 was it? -- they might be quite elderly dogs by now.

I wonder if the dog died of old age, complicating the mystery.

 

[Oiseaux]

Protected because of recent vet procedure or illness?

RSBM

That's what I was thinking. There are lots of reasons why a dog might be on crate rest: recuperating from surgery or injury, treatment for heartworm/valley fever, etc.

It's also possible that the dog was intended to be crated for just a brief period. Maybe it's a barker and they expected a delivery or a visitor, or maybe they were feeding the dogs and this one was a little bossy to the others. The timing for a seemingly quick confinement might have just been very unlucky.

MOO

 

[Melquiades]

I suspect the dog will turn out to be a red herring who was just unluckily in their crate for innocent/normal reasons when a whole bunch of other weird stuff happened, and then starved.

 

[ttjo]

The pills lying on the floor around GH wife - were they her pills or GHs. He looked frail in those images from late last year. And I heard they had become reclusive. Was GH suffering from dementia? Was it a suicide pact gone very wrong and the dog accidently got caught in the closet when the wife fell? Would the autopsies be able to ascertain the time frame of either death to establish a time frame between the deaths?

I did read they were prescription drugs, but that's all. No mention of what they were for or who they were prescribed for. The fact that they were scattered has to say something, I'm not 100% sure if they were on the floor or just scattered on the counter.

 

[Oiseaux]

Also, it's occurred to me that if this is the second set of GSDs they've had, starting in 1999 was it? -- they might be quite elderly dogs by now.

RSBM

I saw that mentioned, but it would be exceedingly unusual for one dog, let alone three dogs in one household, to reach the age of 25+. Most dogs of that size start going downhill in their early teens and pass away by 15 or so. They must have gotten more dogs when the first ones from 1999 passed away.

 

[ttjo]

RSBM

I saw that mentioned, but it would be exceedingly unusual for one dog, let alone three dogs in one household, to reach the age of 25+. Most dogs of that size start going downhill in their early teens and pass away by 15 or so. They must have gotten more dogs when the first ones from 1999 passed away.

Newsweek reported that Animal Rescue said when GH was filming a movie with Keanu Reeves in 1999, 2 stray dogs wandered onto the set. he sent them to the shelter in a limousine, and later that day, he and his wife went to the shelter and adopted one of them. His name was Duke.

Gene Hackman once adopted a dog that wandered on movie set

The Oscar-winning actor adopted a dog that wandered onto the set of "The Replacements" in 1999.

www.newsweek.com

 

[Moonsie]

I suspect the dog will turn out to be a red herring who was just unluckily in their crate for innocent/normal reasons when a whole bunch of other weird stuff happened, and then starved.

My vote for the red herring is the pills. Guess we will find out soon enough.

moo.

 

[Knox]

so much to know, where is Joseph Scott Morgan when you need him ?

He commented on the case tonight somewhere, think it was on Law & Crime.

 

[PaulaDC]

Something as simple as an indoor fireplace emitting carbon dioxide? They possibly went to bed with the fireplace on? Maybe it settled in the downstairs area and as they were in the process of letting the dogs out or in they both went down before the dogs were let out or kenneled up.

 

[ttjo]

He commented on the case tonight somewhere, think it was on Law & Crime.

I saw it and posted it, It was fox news.

 

[Romulus]

Possible a toxic mold in the house?? I remember they hypothesized it in the case of Brittany Murphy, the actress who died at 32!

 

[Friday Fan]

I suspect the dog will turn out to be a red herring who was just unluckily in their crate for innocent/normal reasons when a whole bunch of other weird stuff happened, and then starved.

We kept our chihuahua in a crate a lot. She was never fully housebroken and during bad weather, forget it. During bad weather, she would hide and then go in the house. She actually liked that little crate.

 

[Auntie Cipation]

RSBM

I saw that mentioned, but it would be exceedingly unusual for one dog, let alone three dogs in one household, to reach the age of 25+. Most dogs of that size start going downhill in their early teens and pass away by 15 or so. They must have gotten more dogs when the first ones from 1999 passed away.

Yes that is what I was saying -- in 25 years they could have had TWO sets of dogs, each living 12-13ish years, with the current dogs now being 12-13 and near the end of their lifespans, and one of them may have died of old age. I wasn't suggesting a GSD could live to 20+ years. Of course these could also be puppies, maybe their THIRD set of dogs. We just don't know yet. But I did have the crazy thought that if both her husband and dog died, that could certainly push someone over the edge into grieving suicidal despair. Of course that doesn't really fit the scenario so I don't think that's what happened, but until we know more we might as well keep an open mind to all potential explanations. MOO