A New Mexico sheriff says legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife were dead for at least a day before their bodies were discovered in a Santa Fe home Wednesday afternoon.
The chilling twist comes just hours after a local news station revealed authorities were unable to identify the couple until Thursday morning—at least 12 hours after they were found.
The bodies of Hackman, 95, Betsy Arakawa, 64, and a dog were found by police after a concerned neighbor requested a welfare check. A spokesperson for the Santa Fe sheriff’s office told ABC News foul pay is not expected, but she did not respond to a call and email from the Daily Beast.
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A cause of death has not been released, but Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth told TMZ she fears carbon monoxide poisoning is to blame.
Foul play has not been totally ruled out, however, says Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza. He told TMZ his deputies have obtained a search warrant “in case” the investigation turns criminal.
The county’s top cop added the couple could have “been victims of a double homicide, suicide, accidental death,” or simply died from “natural causes.”
TMZ added that two other dogs in the Hackman house survived the mystery incident.
Elizabeth, who did not respond to a call from the Daily Beast, told TMZ her dad and stepmom had lived in their Santa Fe home since he retired in 2004. The couple were married for 34 years and largely laid low—though they were photographed out and about last year, with Hackman using a cane to walk.
Hackman was one of the most accomplished actors of his generation. He was a two-time Academy Award winner and five-time nominee, taking home the awards for best actor for The French Connection (1971) and best supporting actor for Unforgiven (1992).
California born but raised mostly in Illinois, Hackman joined the Marines at age 16 and served nearly five years in East Asia and the Pacific before he enrolled in college to study journalism and TV production.
Hackman decided to pursue his longtime dream—going back to when he was as young as 10—of becoming an actor in 1956 by enrolling in the Pasadena Playhouse in California. His pursuit of fame took him to New York, where he later made his big break on stage and eventually the big screen.
He is survived by three children, Elizabeth, Christopher, and Leslie.
