Gene hackman and his wife prove negative for carbon monoxide after mysteriously found dead

Actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, became negative for carbon monoxide, the authorities revealed on Friday, in the middle of an investigation after they were mysteriously found mysteriously dead next to one of their dogs in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Adan Mendoza, said he believes that carbon monoxide is ruled out as a possible cause of death.

It is believed that Hackman died on February 17, nine days before he and his wife were dead, Mendoza also said Friday, and noted that this was the date of the last “event” recorded in his pacemaker. It is believed that it was the “last day of life” of Hackman, said the Sheriff, and pointed out that it is not clear when Arakawa died.

A cause and form of death remain pending, he said. Researchers still expect complete autopsy results and toxicology reports, he said.

The couple was found on Wednesday during a social assistance check without obvious signs of how they died, according to the Sheriff’s office in Santa Fe County.

However, their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require an exhaustive search and research” due to all the “circumstances surrounding” the scene, according to the affidavit of the search warrant.

There was no external trauma for any of them, which led officials to perform carbon and toxicology monoxide tests, Sheriff’s office said.

Mendoza said he could spend at least three months before they have the final findings of the autopsy.

He said that the pathologist at the New Mexico medical researcher’s office had accelerated some tests and informed him early that the couple had tried negative for carbon monoxide.

“She shared that information with me because she thought it was relevant to the case and important that the public knows,” Mendoza said.

In a search on Thursday at the couple’s house, the researchers recovered two cell phones, thyroid medicines, blood pressure medications, Tylenol, a monthly planner and monthly records of 2025, as shown in the judicial records.

Hackman was discovered on the floor of the mud room, according to the search warrant. It seemed that he fell suddenly, and he and his wife “showed obvious signs of death,” the document said.

Arakawa was found lying sideways on the floor in a bathroom, with a space heater near his body, according to the search warrant, and his body showed signs of decomposition due to some mummification in his hands and feet.

In the counter near Arakawa there was an open recipe bottle, with scattered pills, according to the search warrant.

A German shepherd was found dead about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa, according to the document. That dog was in a box or kennel, according to Mendoza. Two other dogs used from the couple survived, although the officials said they both had access to a dog door.

The Fire Department of the city of Santa Fe did not find signs of a possible leakage or poisoning of carbon monoxide, according to the document. The tests did not find carbon monoxide in the house, according to firefighters Brian Moya.

The New Mexico Gas Company also replied: “From now on, there are no signs or evidence that indicates that there were problems associated with pipes inside and around the residence,” the document said.

Two maintenance workers said they had not heard from Hackman and Arakawa in approximately two weeks, according to the document.

A maintenance worker who initially responded to the house found the main door open, but there were no signs of forced entry or that had stolen something, according to the document.

There were no indications of a crime and “there could be a multitude of reasons why the door was open,” the Sheriff told journalists on Thursday.

“There was no obvious sign or indication of dirty game,” but the authorities “have not yet ruled out that,” said the Sheriff.

The researchers “keep everything on the table,” he added.

Kevin Shalvey of ABC News, Erica Morris and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.