Following the discovery of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa dead in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday, February 26, further information about their deaths has finally been made public.
Hackman and Arakawa had been deceased for’some time’, according to a search warrant issued by Santa Fe police, and were discovered in separate rooms.
Arakawa was discovered dead in a restroom, whereas Hackman was discovered dead in a mudroom—a space used for wet or filthy shoes and clothes.
Near the location where Arakawa was discovered, police reported finding an open prescription bottle and other tablets strewn on the countertop.
Authorities have not revealed the couple’s cause of death, but they have stated that foul play is not suspected.
An ‘active investigation’ into the death was previously stated in an initial statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff in New Mexico, which read: “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their property on Sunset Trail.
“This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.”
In an interview, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza stated that there was no early evidence of foul play in the deaths of the two, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation, waiting on approval of a search warrant,” Mendoza said.
He continued: “I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone.”
After more than 20 years without being seen together, the couple was last seen together in public a year before to the devastating news.
Hackman, who won two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes during his ten-year Hollywood career, married classical musician Arakawa in 1991.
Before Hackman finally declared he was retiring from show business, the couple packed up their things and left La La Land for the tranquility of New Mexico in the 1980s.
“I haven’t held a press conference to announce retirement, but yes, I’m not going to act any longer,” he stated to Reuters in 2008. “I really don’t want to do it any longer.”
Since then, the couple has remained secret, with Arakawa in particular being very reclusive. Hackman claimed that this contributed to their decision to move to Santa Fe because she has no known social media accounts or interviews about her love life.
In 2000, he told the Irish Independent, “Where we live, in Santa Fe, you can lead your own life and not be bothered by the latest gossip.”
Arakawa was the stepmother to the Heartbreakers star’s three children from his former marriage to Faye Maltese, even though he and Arakawa are not parents.
“Being the son or daughter of a celebrity is difficult,” Hackman went on. “I couldn’t always be home with them when they were growing up and then, living in California, they’ve had my success always hanging over their heads.”
