Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found deceased and partially-mummified at their home in Santa Fe on Wednesday 26 February.
Since then, harrowing details have been revealed about this developing story; most recently, the 911 call that was made when they were found.
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A male caller dialed 911
In the 911 call, a male can be heard telling the dispatcher that he found two bodies fallen on the floor and not moving at Hackman’s compound in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The caller, whose identity has been redacted, pleaded for help from the authorities with his voice seeming quite frantic.
He might have been a maintenance worker
As reported by TMZ, the caller was sniffling through tears, repeating ‘d**n’ as he described what he was seeing.
The caller is believed to be one of the two maintenance workers who found the couple’s bodies. He was unsure whether he had seen one or two corpses as he was looking through a window.
The dispatcher asked for details
In the call, the dispatcher can be heard asking for details about the ‘patients’ with the caller unable to give details about their appearance or heart rate as he had seen an unmoving body on the floor through the window. He also saw no movement happening inside the house.
Investigators are still looking into it
The investigation is still ongoing, but investigators worry Hackman and Arakawa may have been lying dead at their home for up to two weeks as both bodies were found partially-mummified and decomposed.
It’s likely that the cold and dry air in New Mexico played a role in reserving their skin.
They were found in separate rooms
Hackman and Arakawa were found deceased in separate rooms within the house. Hackman was found in a room near the kitchen with his cane and sunglasses next to him. This sparked speculation that he might have had a fatal fall.
Arakawa was found on the bathroom floor with an open bottle of prescription medication partially scattered on a countertop near her.
Neither of them had wounds
A sheriff who had initially arrived at the scene deemed the deaths potentially suspicious, but the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office have since said that they do not believe there was any foul play.
Following the initial investigation, neither of them had any sign of wounds, and it’s still unclear who died first.
The autopsy could take weeks
Local officials have said that results of an autopsy could take four to six weeks until it reaches the public.
One of the couple’s three dogs was also found at their home. The German Shepherd was found in a closet near the bathroom where Arakawa had been found. Their two other dogs are alive.
Hackman’s daughter speculated it could be a gas leak
Elizabeth Jean Hackman, the actor’s daughter, was among those who had thought it might’ve been a gas leak that killed the couple. But a firefighter was called out to the house and found no evidence of a gas leak.
Hackman’s got a long legacy
Gene Hackman was one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors with a long and successful career.
He won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1972 for his role in The French Connection. He also won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1993 for the movie Unforgiven.
Hackman took part in other iconic and memorable movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, Superman, Postcards from the Edge, The Poseidon Adventure, Mississippi Burning, The Firm, Get Shorty, and more.
Last Updated on February 28, 2025 by Nour Morsy
