Suspicious death of Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog in New Mexico - February 2025

RoundPeg said:
I think it makes sense. My wild theories are just that.
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Same boat here. It likely is the simplest answer and yet I have other theories but it's only because we don't know enough to settle on she killed herself after finding him dead and that no other theory has basis. We don't know yet and that makes it hard.

And I can't shake the thought she was dead before he was and maybe not even on the same day.

I think I mentioned it above, just a few things that lean me that way or make me wonder.

If it is the simple answer, that she killed self after finding him dead, then there are some loose ends they need to tie up. The dog, the doors, the space heater, etc. What medication she took. And so on.

Tox is big here.
 
I honestly for once have no theory on this one..... this "incident" or case has me baffled.... I was thinking carbon monoxide since 2 humans 1 dog deceased in the home other 2 dogs outside or possibly having access to indoor and outdoor (ie doggie door or something) but since they seem to have ruled that out I don't know what to think!! I REALLY DON'T!
 
Takeitfromme said:
I honestly for once have no theory on this one..... this "incident" or case has me baffled.... I was thinking carbon monoxide since 2 humans 1 dog deceased in the home other 2 dogs outside or possibly having access to indoor and outdoor (ie doggie door or something) but since they seem to have ruled that out I don't know what to think!! I REALLY DON'T!
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The answer should be interesting.
 
Cousin Dupree said:
The answer should be interesting.
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Your link above was a VERY GOOD read. Best thing I've seen in a long time. I tried to respond to it but the site wouldn't let me for some reason. It's a long read but man is it well written. I'd give the two who authored it an award. There were so many things in it worth commenting on. I wrote a post and then I don't know if I hit a key wrong or what but it disappeared and I had mentioned some things in it. Then the site wouldn't let me respond to your post after that. Not the first time it's happened either.

There was a lot of interesting in there and it paid a great tribute and covered a LOT of things, both with him and her, more him but still, their time in Santa Fe, their friends, his business partnership in that restaurant. The cowboy dress thing was hilarious. Santa Fe seems a great place for the famous wanting some privacy and the people there seem to respect that and make no big deal about it.
I had a lot better comments and things I noted but that post long disappeared and I can't rewrite it. I'd highly recommend everyone go up and read the article. It was WELL worth it.

Thank you for posting it. I don't look at every link but I'm glad I did with that one.

Re the cause of death.

I watched a thing or two in the last few days. Speculation of course but by experts who have done such work, etc. of course. Law and Crime had one I think it was with Joseph Scott MOrgan (think I have the name right) who has quite a background in such. I swear he read my posts! Just kidding but he was saying what I've said here and that was all my own, I'd never seen anyone else anywhere speculate that it seems that maybe she died first, ahead of him... It's worth a watch. He had the same reasons for thinking such or wondering such. Of course, not certainty, just a few things that seem like MAYBE they may indicate that. Possibly. It was a really good watch and not all that long, it may have been 1/2 an hour. The "host" let him talk fully and did not interrupt so he explained a lot of things and thoughts.
 
GrandmaBear said:
Your link above was a VERY GOOD read. Best thing I've seen in a long time. I tried to respond to it but the site wouldn't let me for some reason. It's a long read but man is it well written. I'd give the two who authored it an award. There were so many things in it worth commenting on. I wrote a post and then I don't know if I hit a key wrong or what but it disappeared and I had mentioned some things in it. Then the site wouldn't let me respond to your post after that. Not the first time it's happened either.

There was a lot of interesting in there and it paid a great tribute and covered a LOT of things, both with him and her, more him but still, their time in Santa Fe, their friends, his business partnership in that restaurant. The cowboy dress thing was hilarious. Santa Fe seems a great place for the famous wanting some privacy and the people there seem to respect that and make no big deal about it.
I had a lot better comments and things I noted but that post long disappeared and I can't rewrite it. I'd highly recommend everyone go up and read the article. It was WELL worth it.

Thank you for posting it. I don't look at every link but I'm glad I did with that one.

Re the cause of death.

I watched a thing or two in the last few days. Speculation of course but by experts who have done such work, etc. of course. Law and Crime had one I think it was with Joseph Scott MOrgan (think I have the name right) who has quite a background in such. I swear he read my posts! Just kidding but he was saying what I've said here and that was all my own, I'd never seen anyone else anywhere speculate that it seems that maybe she died first, ahead of him... It's worth a watch. He had the same reasons for thinking such or wondering such. Of course, not certainty, just a few things that seem like MAYBE they may indicate that. Possibly. It was a really good watch and not all that long, it may have been 1/2 an hour. The "host" let him talk fully and did not interrupt so he explained a lot of things and thoughts.
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I had mentioned in my post #47 that she may have died first. Is there any news yet?
 
Tresir said:
I had mentioned in my post #47 that she may have died first. Is there any news yet?
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Had you said that too? Okay I just went and looked. You mentioned her not there to take care of him. That's kind of where I am leaning. I can though also see where perhaps she killed herself after finding him dead, the more maybe obvious thing most would think if not carbon monoxide but I'm just not jumping to that...

I don't know why. On one hand I can see it as they were fairly reclusive and probably very tight in that they were the only two in the household and probably depended on the other a lot as the other "body" in the home if they weren't out and about much. It's possible.

However, I also see her and him too as pretty strong people, with inner strength. Stalwart. They take care of selves and each other or have and maybe in the end, hard to say, but maybe more of her doing it for him than vice versa. I just don't see her I guess as someone weak who then kills herself, but I sure could be wrong. I'd just think there's more of a strength there to her. Does that make any sense or does anyone get what I mean?

Grief and if one reacts can have someone acting out no doubt so maybe I'm wrong. I mean I can say honestly if I acted on sudden grief I'd do things I'd never do when calmer and in a better time/state.

I also would not want to assume she ODd or was some drug addict even. I mean they were together for decades and as far as we know there was no hint of such. But who knows...

It wouldn't be the first case where someone killed themselves because they could not imagine life without the other.

Time of death, tox, all of that matters clearly.

Another thing, today's pacemakers can report or there are types that do, meaning he must not have had that kind of if he did, someone missed it alerting or reporting.
 
Cousin Dupree said:
www.usatoday.com

Gene Hackman death investigation continues: Conflicting details emerge on dogs, health

The investigation into the deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa is ongoing, while details on the death of their dog come to light.
www.usatoday.com
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I wondered if the "inside" dog wasn't smaller or "more" of a pet, at least of hers. The assumption all three were German Shepherds seemed to come from that he had taken in such back some years ago. I've wondered throughout if news was even just assuming all were German Shepherds. Now it seems LE may have also gotten a breed wrong but regardless, it seemed possible or likely one was more of a pet or inside dog, maybe smaller. The one that died. HE was known to have had shepherds if I recall, back when anyhow.

So his health was failing in recent months per those that knew them. He was 95 so that's not shocking. It probably did add some more stress and possibly caretaking on her part but not sure that factors into what happened.

Other than some obvious things like tox, doors, dog, etc., I'd like to know how far apart in the home they were. While it's not probably the biggest mansion by standards of the rich, it is clear it is pretty big by the standards of all of us when seeing the pics from above. I'd like to hear the square footage but even without it, VERY big. I mean were they a house apart (our size of house), two or more or in the same area of the mansion.... If he was in failing health, I'd think they'd be near each other most of the time.

One final thing, they liked privacy but did not have security cams, his pacemaker apparently was not the type that reported to doctors or an outside service, and all the search warrant shows taken for tech were two cell phones, no computers, tablets, etc. Usually tech devices are a fair number taken re a search warrant. So I'm kind of assuming they liked privacy as is pretty much said and didn't want much tech in their lives but just a device to keep contact maybe, I.e., cell phones.

I heard yesterday the one daughter hadn't talked to him in two months. The son has not been heard from at least in the sense of releasing any statement, etc. (I am not going to fall for news and assume that means he is out of touch, I take it just that he hasn't talked to media or issued a statement).

At this point, I think no one deserves b.s. in the sense of he deserves respect, she does, the family does, I don't assume she OD'd for instance, maybe those that know her would say NO WAY. Of course spilled pills and a bottle from them and her being in a bathroom lead to that obvious conclusion and the two deaths it would make the most sense. It's also romantic, she couldn't live without him nor did she want to. He was well thought of, not going to assume anything there. Or about the family. However, the questions cause one to wonder what happened which of course brings speculation, I'm sure doing it in my own mind...

I's all open yet imo. As to what happened.
 
Takeitfromme said:
The whole thing is very strange!!
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It is certainly not a typical scenario which is what most say, like the experts who have done LE or forensic pathology and you name it, this kind of situation is rare where it isn''t carbon monoxide, poison, a perp, etc... Or maybe a natural death and suicide. Certainly possible. No one can rule anything out right now imo but LE knows more of course.
 
This article has a little more info about the dog that was found dead and they misidentified it initially as a German Shepherd when it was a reddish Kelpie mix which is what my dog was - the one in my profile pic, although she was black. They also found a small gas leak they did not regard as fatal but was 0.33%. The other thing they say is that the space heater could have contributed to the mummification of Betsy, so I presume it was on.

www.express.co.uk

Gene Hackman's cause of death bombshell update with horror gas find

A local gas company has given an update on a discovery in the New Mexico home of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
www.express.co.uk www.express.co.uk
 
Tresir said:
This article has a little more info about the dog that was found dead and they misidentified it initially as a German Shepherd when it was a reddish Kelpie mix which is what my dog was - the one in my profile pic, although she was black. They also found a small gas leak they did not regard as fatal but was 0.33%. The other thing they say is that the space heater could have contributed to the mummification of Betsy, so I presume it was on.

www.express.co.uk

Gene Hackman's cause of death bombshell update with horror gas find

A local gas company has given an update on a discovery in the New Mexico home of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
www.express.co.uk www.express.co.uk
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I have to either shake my head or laugh. They call it a horror gas leak in the headline and two paragraphs in say it was not lethal and minor. That gas leak means nothing and yet they talk of it enough in the article.

I'd read above that this dog was not a German Shepherd, I had not read though that it was misidentified including even the name, saying it was a German Shepherd named Bear. HOW does that happen? Was someone present that gave the wrong breed and name, maybe a neighbor or the maintenance guy? You wouldn't think though they'd have them inside the house at a "possible" crime scene. Odd. Or could the crate have the wrong name on it, maybe formerly used for the other dog? The breed wrong though too....

I wondered in some post far above if the heater was on. This article nor nothing from LE has indicated whether it was or was not. In the beginning it was talked of as if it fell, or tipped over. I have two of the better space heaters and there's no way almost you could tip them over. Not if sitting on the floor. I guess they could have had some lightweight cheap types but I'd somehow doubt it with the wealth.

Also IF it was on, which isn't confirmed, I'd suspect she was about to shower or just had. I wonder what the temps were like on the day he died (17th) although we don't know that she died the same day.

LE hasn't given time of day but for some reason I keep thinking it was in the morning. I don't have any real reason for thinking that though. I just wonder if morning routines were going on, maybe letting dogs out or back in, showering, medications. I'm only speculating, there may have been no shower plan and the meds could have been taken by her or she was getting them for him. We also don't know what medication bottle was there, or if it was his or hers, and what the pills were. I'd assume they are also making sure the pills in the bottles match what is on the label. I've seen people keep other pills in the wrong bottles in my lifetime... They need to test them and be sure imo.

The heater seemed to be something they thought odd at the very outset. Nothing much has been shared about it from LE. In the winter, I will turn one of my space heaters towards the bathroom for a time before I shower, right near the door. However my bathroom is small and basic. A toilet, a tub, a 24" (I believe) vanity cabinet/sink. This is a mansion and any bathroom is probably the size of some people's living rooms, maybe even with a walk in closet, etc. My point is I don't keep a space heater in my bathroom but apparently they did. They probably also had at least 3 if not more bathrooms in that place. At their age, especially his age and health, I'd guess they weren't using the entire mansion much. I suppose when they bought it, both being a lot younger, the size and all it had appealed and it was also probably for privacy. Let's be honest though in that that's way more house than two people need and once they get older it certainly is. It doesn't sound like from any account that they had friends or family stay over which also would maybe account for the need for something big. My point is with his health and age, and she's in my age range, they were probably mainly only using a main section of the home. That's my guess anyhow. However, if one wanted their space from the other, they both could even be using different areas far apart but we have no reason to think that, she was likely his caretaker and always or mostly close by. It has now been said in the last weeks, etc. his health had not been good, or was it in the last couple of months... It is in the article above.

I forgot to add space heaters are supposed to turn off if tipped over and in the beginning it sounded like this space heater tipped over. However, reports of everything have been wrong or all over the place, especially in the beginn
Going to stop, this is long enough, but it sure is a cases that gets one thinking. If we had a few more details, we'd probably be able to more so figure what happened.

There was little taken per the search warrant. I wonder if it was seriously that limited and they'd have to get another to take more. Or was all taken not listed? I mean just for one, they didn't take the space heater. I'd think they would. I don't know of any home that only has three medications in it do you? I mean OTC as well. I'd be taking them all. And just because poison (like carbon monoxide) is one agent that can kill multiples (three bodies), I'd also be maybe talking some things looking for that as well. Food from the frig for instance. It's still hard to believe the only tech they had was two cell phones. At his age it is believable for him perhaps. Not so much at her age but possible I guess. And most people do do most on their job phones these days but I don't. I've never been without a computer for decades now.

Okay I said I was stopping. Just food for thought or with my first cup of coffee, my thoughts are starting to percolate lol.
 
I don't think it's been posted that the dog's name was Zinna and they say that dog was always attached at Betsy's hip. I've wondered IF she suicided if she didn't take the dog a long with, that would not be out of the question if that kind of attachment. Supposedly a former shelter dog that turned into a close companion for Betsy.

Just a suggestion, but maybe her name should be in the thread title? Betsy's I mean.

There's a few news orgs out there acting as if they have new info but you click in and none of it is new, just a total rehash.
 
Press conference supposed to start at the top of the hour allegedly from what I'm hearing!

 
I'm not promising it isn't more clickbait and an old conference. I will come back and let people know. It says "starting soon"...
 
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