Gene Hackman Case: Santa Fe Fire Chief Shares Deaths Timeline Update
Originally appeared on E! Online
An official has shared more insight into the mysterious deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife.
Nearly two weeks after police found the Oscar winner, 95, Betsy Arakawa, 65, and one of their three dogs dead inside the couple's Santa Fe home Feb. 26, local fire chief Brian Moya spoke out about the possible timing of the passing of Hackman and his wife.
"Just because both bodies were in similar ways," he told Fox News in an interview on March 5, "it could be a similar timeframe."
Moya noted that during the past three years he's been the Santa Fe fire chief, his department and emergency medical services have not responded to any calls at the couple's residence.
Hackman was found dead in a mudroom, according to a Feb. 26 search warrant affidavit obtained by NBC News, with a deputy noting he believes the Superman star may have suddenly fallen. Arakawa, meanwhile, was found on the floor of a bathroom, with a space heater near her head and a bottle of prescription pills on the counter, along with pills scattered on the surface.
Both bodies showed "obvious signs of death," according to the , while Arakawa's also showed signs of "body decomposition."
However, authorities have also looked into Hackman's pacemaker to help assist with the timeline in the case. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza has said the device's last event was recorded Feb. 17—nine days before the Birdcage actor and his wife's bodies were found. "That is a very good assumption," he said at a Feb. 28 press conference, "that that was his last day of life."
Mendoza also noted that it's "very difficult" to put together a timeline of Hackman and Arakawa's deaths, even with the help of the Office of the Medical Investigator
"Just based on their body and other evidence on the body, it appears several days, possibly even up to a couple of weeks," he shared on Today Feb. 28. "There was no indication that anybody was moving about the house or doing anything different, so it's very hard to determine if they both passed at the time or how close they passed together."
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Both bodies showed "obvious signs of death," according to the affidavit, while Arakawa's also showed signs of "body decomposition."
However, authorities have also looked into Hackman's pacemaker to help assist with the timeline in the case. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza has said the device's last event was recorded Feb. 17—nine days before the Birdcage actor and his wife's bodies were found. "That is a very good assumption," he said at a Feb. 28 press conference, "that that was his last day of life."
Mendoza also noted that it's "very difficult" to put together a timeline of Hackman and Arakawa's deaths, even with the help of the Office of the Medical Investigator
"Just based on their body and other evidence on the body, it appears several days, possibly even up to a couple of weeks," he shared on Today Feb. 28. "There was no indication that anybody was moving about the house or doing anything different, so it's very hard to determine if they both passed at the time or how close they passed together."
Just as mysterious are the causes of Hackman and his wife's death. The French Connection star and Arakawa have both tested negative for carbon monoxide.
"At the time of death, they were negative for carbon monoxide, which means to me that is possibly ruled out," Mendoza explained at the press conference. "Right now, there's no indication that that has any anything to do with it."
Look back at Hackman's life in pictures...
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