According to forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog may have died in a tragic accident.
Authorities in New Mexico launched a criminal investigation into the deaths after finding the couple and their dog dead in their Santa Fe home under “suspicious” circumstances. Santa Fe Sheriff Department officials found no signs of foul play or external trauma on Hackman or Arakawa. Preliminary autopsies revealed no carbon monoxide and suggested that Hackman likely died about nine days before discovery.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that Hackman’s pacemaker recorded an event on Feb. 17, indicating a cardiac arrest. Baden mentioned the pacemaker’s role in tracking Hackman’s pulse rate.
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Baden speculated that Arakawa may have died trying to help her husband after his pacemaker stopped working. Investigators found Arakawa in a bathroom near a space heater and an open prescription bottle with scattered pills.
Dr. Michael Baden shared his expert opinion on the “unusual” circumstances behind Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths. (Getty)
Baden suggested that Arakawa’s death may have been caused by trying to assist her husband. The couple’s deceased dog was found in a closet, while two other dogs were discovered alive.
“What was perplexing to me initially was the death of the dog, which I thought was free in the house,” Baden mentioned. However, it was later revealed that the dog was confined and likely died from lack of water during the nine days.
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Baden’s theory also addressed the delay in making an emergency call after Hackman’s cardiac event. A maintenance worker found the bodies nine days later.
The couple and one of their dogs were found dead on Feb. 26. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Mendoza, the Santa Fe Sheriff, shared that toxicology tests were ordered for the deceased couple to determine the cause of death. The investigation is ongoing, and results may take up to three months.
