Police in Santa Fe, New Mexico say that an investigation is underway after Oscar award-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead alongside one of their dogs in their Santa Fe residence.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office said in a statement when news first broke of their death: “On 26 February, 2025, at approximately 1:45pm, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to an address on Old Sunset Trail in Hyde Park where Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and a dog were found deceased.”
Later on Thursday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the couple were found Wednesday afternoon during a welfare check after their neighbor called and was concerned about their well-being. According to the search warrant affidavit, their deaths were considered “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation, due to all of the circumstances surrounding the scene.”
According to the search warrant: Hackman was found on the floor in the mud room, appearing that he fell suddenly. Arakawa was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom, with a space heater near her body Her body showed signs of decomposition with mummification to her hands and feet. On the counter near Arakawa was an opened prescription bottle, with pills scattered. A German shepherd was found dead about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa, with two other dogs were found alive – one was near Arakawa, and the other was located outside.
The document further stated that the Santa Fe City Fire Department found no signs of a possible carbon monoxide leak or poisoning; if there was carbon monoxide at the scene, it could have vented out of the home through the open front door before responders arrived. Chris Ramirez, spokesperson for the New Mexico medical investigator’s office, said that the medical examiner’s reports with the final cause of death “generally take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to generate.”
Hackman is a two-time Academy Award winner who was awarded Oscars for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in William Friedkin’s 1971 thriller The French Connection; and for Best Supporting Actor for playing Little Bill Daggett in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 film, Unforgiven.
Hackman retired from acting in 2004, and moved to Sante Fe with his second wife, Arakawa. The actor shared three children from his 30-year marriage with Faye Maltese (they divorced in 1986).
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