Update in investigation into deaths of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa
Authorities will on Friday reveal more details about their investigation into the deaths of Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The couple's partially mummified bodies were discovered at their home in New Mexico in February, along with the body of one of their dogs.
Tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative and the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office does not suspect foul play.
Sheriff Adan Mendoza has scheduled a press conference for Friday afternoon, alongside state fire, forensics and health officials, to provide an update on the investigation.
The sheriff has previously said that Hackman and Arakawa may have died up to a fortnight before the discovery of their bodies on February 26.
Hackman's pacemaker last showed any activity on February 17.
Arakawa's body was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom counter, while Hackman's body was found in the home's entryway.
One of the couple's three dogs was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet, near Arakawa. Two other dogs survived.
Authorities initially misidentified the dead dog.
Medical investigators have been working to carry out toxicology reports and establish the cause of the couple's deaths. However, it could take weeks.
Authorities have retrieved personal items from the home, including a monthly planner and two cellphones that will be analysed.
When they were found, the bodies were decomposing with some mummification, a consequence of body type and climate in Santa Fe 's especially dry air, authorities previously said.
Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films including The French Connection, Hoosiers and Superman from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
Arakawa, who was born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist and attended the University of Southern California. She met Hackman in the 1980s while working at a California gym.
The couple's stucco, Pueblo-revival style home sits on a hill in a gated community at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains. Santa Fe is known as a refuge for celebrities, artists and authors.
Hackman dedicated much of his time in retirement to painting and writing novels far from Hollywood's social circuit.
He served for several years on the board of trustees at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, and he and his wife were investors in local businesses.
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The Herald Scotland
19 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
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Graziadaily
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Daily Mirror
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- Daily Mirror
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