Gene Hackman & His Wife’s Deaths Officially ‘Suspicious’ - Door Open, 'Pills Scattered', Signs Of 'Mummification'!

More details have come out about the sudden deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.

As we previously reported, the 95-year-old actor and the 64-year-old classical pianist were found dead inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on Wednesday. From the start, this has been a disturbing case. We mean, even their dog was dead in the house. Although the exact cause of death is unknown, the county sheriff’s public information officer, Denise Womack-Avila, said police found no immediate indication of foul play. But has that changed?

When the news broke, many wondered if Gene, Betsy, and their pooch could have perished from carbon monoxide poisoning. However, it sounds like that’s not the case! Police say there were “no obvious signs of a gas leak.” They have uncovered puzzling new information that now has them calling the deaths of the couple “suspicious”! A search warrant obtained by TMZ on Thursday stated:

“The death of the two deceased individuals [is] suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened.”

The door was open? Hmm…

“Deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak.”

Whoa.

Let’s break this down further. According to the outlet, two maintenance workers discovered the bodies on Wednesday. They told law enforcement they had not seen Gene or Betsy in approximately two weeks. When the pair checked on the couple at the residence, they saw the front door ajar and found them deceased inside.

The door being ajar could point to someone outside the home — but cops didn’t spot any signs of forced entry. Hmm. That’s not the only eyebrow-raising detail here.

Betsy was reportedly lying on her right side on the ground near the countertop of the bathroom, with a black space heater near her head. A sheriff’s deputy thinks the heater may have tumbled as she abruptly fell to the ground. The deputy also spotted an orange prescription bottle, which was open with the pills dispersed on the counter.

Meanwhile, Gene was in a room near the kitchen, fully clothed. It is believed he also fell as his glasses were next to his body on the ground.

While Sheriff Adan Mendoza stated Gene and Betsy had been dead for at least a day, it could have been much longer. The outlet now reports she may have actually been deceased “for some time.” Her body reportedly was in a state of decomposition with her face bloated, and “mummification” had already started on her hands and feet. Whoa.

And get this. As we mentioned before, the suspected cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. However, the affidavit stated there were “no obvious signs of a gas leak.” TMZ also reports the fire department came to take a look and did not find any signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning. The New Mexico gas company also conducted testing on the gas lines in and around the house — but nothing! They concluded:

“As of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence.”

So what happened to Gene, Betsy, and their dog? And how is it the other dogs were alive and healthy? The pills may be the biggest lead right now, but until we learn more we really have no idea. We may have braced ourselves for the loss of Gene Hackman — the screen legend was 95 years old, after all. But we never imagined his death would be so shocking and mysterious.

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[Image via Oscars/YouTube, WENN]