Death of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa 'suspicious enough' to require 'investigation', police warrant reveals

27 February 2025, 19:37

The death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa is “suspicious enough” for a “thorough investigation”, police have said.

Hollywood icon Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead in their Santa Fe home in New Mexico along with their dog on Wednesday afternoon, according to police.

According to a police warrant, the pair were found in separate rooms and had been dead for “some time” when officers attended their house for a welfare check.

The actor’s daughter Elizabeth Jean Hackman has since revealed she believes her parents may have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning.

However, a police warrant suggests there are “no obvious signs” of a gas leak and authorities are treating the incident as “suspicious.”

Read more: Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa and couple's dog found dead in Santa Fe home

Read more: Buffy and Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg dead at 39

Part of the warrant reads: "Circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak.”

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said they have not ruled anything out and are still investigating. No official cause of death has been released.

When police were called to the property, gas company and fire department personnel also attended the scene.

Sheriff Mendoza confirmed just after midnight the couple had died.

Giving an update on the case, he said: "All I can say is that we're in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant."

A welfare check was conducted at the couple's home after a concerned neighbour called the police, the sheriff's office reportedly told NBC affiliate KOB of Albuquerque.

A statement from the Hackman family read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy.

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa.

“We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”

The couple had been married since 1991.The two-time Oscar winner had turned 95 in late January. He was known for being something of a reclusive person, not starring in a film since 2004.

Some of his most famous films are The French Connection, Mississippi Burning and Get Short.

He also played Lex Luthor in Superman.

He quit acting in 2004 and moved to New Mexico.

Tributes have since poured in for Hackman, with actor and author George Takei writing on X: "We have lost one of the true giants of the screen.

"Gene Hackman could play anyone, and you could feel a whole life behind it.

"He could be everyone and no one, a towering presence or an everyday Joe.

"That's how powerful an actor he was. He will be missed, but his work will live on forever."

American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola said Hackman was both "inspiring" and "magnificent".

Coppola produced, wrote and directed 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller The Conversation, which Gene Hackman starred in as surveillance expert Harry Caul.

In a tribute posted on Instagram, he wrote: "The loss of a great artist, always cause for both mourning and celebration: Gene Hackman a great actor, inspiring and magnificent in his work and complexity.

"I mourn his loss, and celebrate his existence and contribution."

Valerie Perrine, who starred alongside Hackman in Superman (1978), described the late actor as one of the "greatest to grace the silver screen".

Perrine starred as Eve Teschmacher, the girlfriend of Hackman's character Lex Luthor, who was Superman's nemesis.

"The great Gene Hackman has passed away," she said.

"He was a genius & 1 of the greatest to grace the silver screen.

"I had the honor of working with him on Superman.

"His performances are legendary. His talent will be missed. Goodbye my sweet Lex Till we meet again. Valerie."

Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas wrote on Instagram: "A very sad day for the cinema's family. Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have passed away.

"My deepest condolences to friends, family and cinema lovers. RIP."