Sheriff Says Gene Hackman Likely Dead for Over a Week Before Discovery, Autopsy Pending

Two-time Academy Award winner Gene Hackman had likely been dead for more than a week before his body was discovered, according to New Mexico authorities.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed the timeline, citing Hackman’s pacemaker, which last registered activity on February 17.

His body, along with that of his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in their Santa Fe home on February 26. The body of the couple's dog was also found along with them.

Mendoza emphasized that while autopsy and toxicology reports are still pending and could take months, initial findings have ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning.

The couple was found in separate rooms, and one of their three dogs was also discovered dead in a bathroom closet. The other two were found alive—one inside the house and another outside on the property.

Authorities have ruled out any signs of a gas leak, and Mendoza stated that there are no indications of foul play in either of their deaths.

This has raised a lot of speculation around their death and what the circumstances really were. 

The couple, who married in 1991, had lived a private and reclusive life away from the public eye since Hackman retired from acting in the mid-2000s.