Last week veteran Hollywood actor Gene Hackman, 95, his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, and one of their pet dogs were found deceased in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, according to police reports. A suspicious death investigation is ongoing.
A maintenance worker performing pest control at the residence discovered their bodies and immediately alerted authorities.
A police search warrant indicated that Hackman and Arakawa were found in separate rooms and appeared to have been “dead for some time.” Preliminary medical investigations found no external trauma on either body.
Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy Arakawa Found Dead in Santa Fe Home
Timeline of Deaths
At a press conference, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza revealed that an examination by Dr. Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s Chief Medical Investigator, determined that Hackman’s pacemaker had stopped functioning ten days before his body was discovered.
“An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on February 17, 2025,” Mendoza stated.
