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

[CityKid]

I think Betsy had a medical event which caused her death, Mr Hackman hears something, looks for her, finds her in bathroom with dog, put the dog in the closet/crate as it could have been trying to help wake her but was possibly in the way, he then went for help and either had a fall or he himself had a medical event due to the stress.

Moo

Ebm

We had a similar theory. We think Betsy had a medical event in the bathroom (or that led to her being in the bathroom) while Gene was sleeping. Loyal pup followed her in; during her event she involuntarily shut the dog in the closet (maybe fell against the door when the dog was inside). Gene awakens hours later in the morning, goes to check on her, opens each door to look for her outside. Dogs get outside at this point. As he's walking back into the house to continue searching for her, he has a cardiac event and collapses. (This ending is what I'm hoping; my bf discovered his father dead last year and it nearly broke him, so I'm hoping Gene didn't discover Betsy dead.)

 

[Fabled Automatic]

It is a huge home and if they pest control had intended for them to leave the house before the treatment, lets say on the 17th, and knocked and got no response they might have assumed they had gone elsewhere like the guest house. When you are retired it is easy to forget what day it is or be preoccupied by medical issues. The caller on 911 said damn, damn, a few times which might indicate he had discovered a mistake on his part. Just saying....

Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe the 911 caller was a pest control worker. He was "the caretaker".

 

[slowpoke]

Leslie told DailyMail.com that Gene and Betsy had 'a wonderful marriage.'
'They had a wonderful marriage. And I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive,' she said.
'[Betsy] took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health.
'So I am appreciative to her for that, and I'm very saddened by her passing.'

Gene Hackman's daughter breaks silence on her reclusive famous father

Gene Hackman's daughter Leslie has broken her silence following her father and stepmother's mysterious death in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com.

www.dailymail.co.uk

A bit more about Betsy in this article. Not recent memories, though:

“Hackman and Arakawa also frequently enjoyed picnics in nature.”
They’d drive out to a remote, beautiful spot. Betsy would bring food, and they’d picnic there.

“The couple were also fixtures of their community and close with many of the local business owners.”
They invested in an Asian fusion restaurant, and they still use Betsy’s recipes for green and red curry.

In 2001, [Betsy] “opened a linens and home furnishings store in town called Pandora's.“An employee shared that she "was very sweet and very fun".

Gene Hackman Had a Deep Connection to 'Magic' of Santa Fe, Where He Lived for 35 Years and Died

Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their home on Feb. 26, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office tells PEOPLE

people.com

 

[JohnnyMurderino99]

Santa Fe County police discovered the body of the two-time Oscar winner, 95, and 63-year-old Arakawa — his wife of 34 years and their dog — on Wednesday afternoon.

No foul play is suspected and no cause of death has been announced.

More at link

Legendary actor Gene Hackman, wife Betsy and dog found dead inside New Mexico home: police

Santa Fe County police discovered the body of the two-time Oscar winner, 95, and 63-year-old classical pianist Betsy Arakawa on Wednesday afternoon.

nypost.com

I have one thing sticking in my head about what has been discovered about the investigation from what I’ve read. Mr. Hackman died on February 17 when his pacemaker registered its last and final data. Authorities said he appeared to have been dead “for some time” and “mummified”. However they reported that his wife appeared to have been dead for “At least 24 hours”. To me this is the most suspicious and striking evidence thus far. If It wasn’t carbon dioxide and they don’t suspect foul play then what is to be made of the disparity in time of deaths between the two?

 

[Molly's Mom]

Hackman's pacemaker reveal's his last event was on 2/17/25. - per press conference just held.

 

[ttjo]

That was my thought -- that something in the cooling/heating system went wrong...

And yes, Bounceycat, he was a very fine actor. Just so sad for both of them and for those close to them, and a big loss to those of us who enjoyed and liked his acting.

Its pretty impressive that he hasnt done anything in acting for 20 years but people still remember him like he never left Hollywood.

 

[Joe Friday]

The part that's puzzling to me is he was found in the mudroom with his walking cane and sunglasses nearby. That leads me to believe he either just finished a walk outside... or was about to take one. Neither indicating to me that he had been ill (like how some have wondered if they ate poisonous mushrooms). It just seems like everything was normal, until it wasn't.

And the fact his wife was partially mummified she appears to have died about the same time. Their deaths just have to be connected somehow IMO. But how?

It was cold outside. If GH was returning from a walk he must have taken off his coat before his demise. If he was going for a walk, he hadn't yet put on his coat.

JMO

 

[angkg]

I too wonder if she died first. Then, in his haste to go to get help, Gene falls. He is 95 and a broken hip is not uncommon at this age.

 

[al66pine]

Today's Presser. youtube showed it as 21:54 min. long.

My review of Mic Checks ---> 9 1/2 of 10 stars.
Some of the best I've ever seen.

Seriously, for anyone interested personally watching:
16:00 min, Santa Fe Film Commissioner Jennifer kicks off presser
18:44 Santa Fe County Sheriff appears & speaks,
is followed by Santa Fe County Fire Chief.

There, just saved you seven min.

 

[Joe Friday]

Not asking for a link. But where did we learn they struggled with cell phone coverage? Anyone that rich would have a satellite phone, imo. Yes I saw 2 phones collected.

Cell phone worked fine for the individual who called 911 from the house. You can even hear the dogs barking in the background.

JMO

 

[JohnnyMurderino99]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
That’s why I was thinking carbon monoxide. What would kill 2 people and one dog without it being murder? If you are going to commit suicide you would hopefully give the dog to a family member. You don’t want to force them to eat you or anything. I know that’s a bad visual. You would want your dog safe. Unless you’re Hitler in a bunker then your dog might not be safe. I’m thinking something killed everyone.

Also people that commit mutual suicide are rarely if ever in Separate rooms. They are typically found in bed together. Again I refer to my previous post about the disparity in times of death between the two as very suspicious. Also with so many children and grand children, friends, neighbors no one thought it concerning they’d not heard from them or bothered to call or stop by?

 

[ttjo]

Today's Presser.
youtube showed it as 21:54 min. long.

My review of Mic Checks ---> 9 1/2 stars of 10.
Some of the best I've ever seen.

Seriously, for anyone interested:
Santa Fe Film Commissioner Jennifer __ kicks off the presser at 16:00 min, is followed by ...
Santa Fe County Sheriff who appears & speaks until 18:44,
is followed by Santa Fe County Fire Chief.

There, just saved you six min.

I would love to watch it again, Mine cut off 1/2 way through.

 

[STAGNUM]

Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe the 911 caller was a pest control worker. He was "the caretaker".

When Deputy Thomas and Barron arrived, Deputy Thomas indicated he spoke to two individuals
(one of which was the reporting party) who found and located the front door of the residence
( ) to be opened/ajar. Deputy Thomas identified the reporting party (RP) to
be a male named Roland Lowe Begay ( /65). Roland advised he works as maintenance work
for a company called “Hoam Company.” The other maintenance worker was identified as Jesse
Kesler ( /72.)

You can hear the caller say "Ro" just before the callers name is redacted on the tape.

 

[Cherwell]

I have one thing sticking in my head about what has been discovered about the investigation from what I’ve read. Mr. Hackman died on February 17 when his pacemaker registered its last and final data. Authorities said he appeared to have been dead “for some time” and “mummified”. However they reported that his wife appeared to have been dead for “At least 24 hours”. To me this is the most suspicious and striking evidence thus far. If It wasn’t carbon dioxide and they don’t suspect foul play then what is to be made of the disparity in time of deaths between the two?

There's no disparity. They seem to have died quite close together as it's said that the condition of the bodies was similar. The "at least 24 hours" comment doesn't mean anything more than that she had died more than a day ago.

 

[ClearAhead]

I think this situation makes sense.
MOO.
I would have bet money on the CO poisoning but this is definitely plausible.
I would wager that Betsy went first (perhaps because of the dog) and Gene was trying to summon help, falls while leaving and well, we know the rest.
JMO.

So often it’s the caregiver whose health gets ignored because all their attention is 24/7 focused on the person they’re caring for. We don’t know what sort of supports BH had but it would appear virtually none. I’m also very surprised the couple didn’t have a housekeeper a few times each week for routine things such as cleaning, laundry and meal prep. Her 95 year old husband certainly wasn’t carrying part of the workload that large home would require. Her world must’ve been exhausting, especially at her age. May she RIP.

JMO

 

[saztina]

IMO the two most likely scenarios based on what we know so far are:

1. Betsy had a medical emergency, maybe the dog discovers her and becomes agitated knocking over the space heater, Gene tries to get help but falls.

2. Betsy discovers Gene dead and takes her own life. This is less likely to me. I’m sure Betsy took great care of her husband, if something happened to him she would know immediately and try to get him help. I doubt that if he passed where he did, she wouldn’t have been aware, meaning that she would at least try to get him help and not have resorted to suicide immediately.

I’m truly baffled but these are the only scenarios I can really see happening.

 

[NuttMegg]

If cellphone signals are not strong but there is internet in the home, then a person can use WiFi calling instead. Requires that their phone be connected to the internet and that they select "WiFi Calling" in their cellphone settings. My iPhone also requires that I enter an emergency address to use WiFi calling (presumably in case a 911 call is made from the phone).

I have that too. There are dizzying choices now

 

[Andreee]

IMO the two most likely scenarios based on what we know so far are:

1. Betsy had a medical emergency, maybe the dog discovers her and becomes agitated knocking over the space heater, Gene tries to get help but falls.

2. Betsy discovers Gene dead and takes her own life. This is less likely to me. I’m sure Betsy took great care of her husband, if something happened to him she would know immediately and try to get him help. I doubt that if he passed where he did, she wouldn’t have been aware, meaning that she would at least try to get him help and not have resorted to suicide immediately.

I’m truly baffled but these are the only scenarios I can really see happening.

I agree. I think #2 is out of the question considering she was by from what I have read, a wonderful wife and caregiver to Gene. And for all we know, both of them had separate medical events that happened around the same time. All just IMO.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I understand your reasoning but surely if that was the case, she would've laid down with him and taken her pills, not left him there on the cold floor and then killed herself away from him? And I honestly don't believe a dog owner would knowingly leave an animal crated to die painfully and alone. JMO

i fully agree regarding both the spousal reaction and the caring of the dogs....\
Clearly, something is shockingly "missing".

 

[Ghostwheel]

9 days and no one noticed? That is beyond heartbreaking.