Radar Unravels the String of Mysteries in Gene Hackman and wife Betsy's Autopsy Report — As Their Horrifying Deaths Leave Huge Questions to Answer
Hackman and Arakawa were discovered mummified.
Feb. 28 2025, Published 12:45 p.m. ET
The mystery surrounding the shocking deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their family dog deepens as time drags on without any answers.
Even the initial results of the couple's autopsy reports provided more questions than answers, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Hollywood legend was still fully clothed, next to his cane.
As RadarOnline.com has reported, the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 63, were found "mummified" in separate room inside their Santa Fe mansion. The unorthodox condition of their bodies kicked off a frantic search for the truth.
What we do know so far is, according to a search warrant, Arakawa was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet.
Hackman was discovered fully clothed in a room off the kitchen – his cane laid out next to him. The two-time Oscar winner displayed the same signs of decomposition as his wife.
One of their three dogs, a German Shepherd, was also found dead in a closet, while the other two were alive.
The identities of both Hackman and Arakawa were not released for nearly 12 hours due to the condition of the bodies, and officials confess they may have been left undiscovered for up to two weeks.
Hackman had memorable roles in movies such as the 'Superman' series.
The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department noted foul play is not believed to be the cause of death, and there was no sign of a suicide note, but pills were discovered tossed around in their bathroom as well as near Arakawa's body in the bedroom.
Early in the investigation, Hackman's daughter Elizabeth Jean speculated her father and stepmother may have died due to a carbon monoxide leak.
But deputies soon shot that theory down, after determining there were no signs of either carbon monoxide poisoning or a gas leak in the home.
The New Mexico Gas Co also worked with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation, according to spokesman Tim Korte. They tested the gas lines in and around the home and confirmed there were no signs of a gas related issue.
Final results of their autopsies could take weeks.
Deputies have labelled the deaths "suspicious" as the door to their home was found open. But add there was no sign of forced entry.
Officials from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office also quickly ruled out foul play, releasing in one of their first statements on the scene: "This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor."
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza admitted to being stumped, and added double homicide, suicide, accidental death or natural causes are all still being considered.
However, it could take several weeks for any concrete answers to be confirmed.
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The longer the truth is missing, the more the crazy online conspiracy theories grow – from tragic murder-suicides to outlandish claims of Witchcraft. And of course, Jeffrey Epstein's name has been batted around.
One person on X shared: "There was some bizarre things posted in the death section of Gene Hackman's Wiki page. It was claiming he was a member of a witchcraft medicine cult in Santa Fe and was known as 'the healer' and was said to be 'appointed by God himself.'"
The accusation has since been removed.
Elsewhere on X, social media users took the unexpected death to link back to financier and child sex offender Epstein and his celebrity connections.
A user tweeted: "Do you think it’s a coincidence that Epstein files are due to be published and the legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa together with their dog were found dead but US police say no foul play suspected?"
A separate person echoed: "Gene Hackman dead what looks like a suicide pact on the day the Epstein files are being released. Coincidence! I hope I'm wrong he is a legend and a brilliant actor."
