Latest Information from New Mexico Sheriff on Gene Hackman’s Death Provided by State Medical Examiner’s Office

UPDATE: The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office conducted a press briefing on Friday afternoon. Sheriff Adan Mendoza addressed the gathered crowd with more details:

• “The Santa Fe Animal Control Division worked with family to ensure the safety of the two surviving dogs.
• “There were no apparent signs of foul play” at the scene, according to investigators.
• “In the early hours of Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, Mr. Hackman and Ms. Arakawa were transported to the office of the medical investigator. An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual.”
• The manner and cause of death is not known, with the official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports pending.
• Mendoza said he spoke on Friday at 2:00 p.m. local time with the pathologist from the state office of the medical investigator. The doctor told him that several of the tests were submitted on an expedited basis.
• “She revealed to me the following information: Both individuals tested negative for carbon monoxide. 
• “An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on Feb. 17, 2025,” but that a “more thorough investigation will be completed.”

During the Q & A session with the media, Sheriff Mendoza mentioned that the pathologist has not yet established whether Hackman or his spouse perished first, “based on the initial findings from the autopsy.”

He further explained that “there are no surveillance cameras on the premises, to our knowledge, either inside or outside the home, that could assist in establishing the sequence of events that unfolded.”

Sheriff Mendoza said that while the couple’s cellphones are in authorities’ possession, they have not accessed the contents so far. He added that the department has a process in place to do that, and it can reach out to other agencies or entities, if needed, to gain access.

When asked how long the autopsy and toxicology tests could take to be finalized, he answered that it could “take months…three months or longer, in my experience.”

original story

As we reported on Thursday, legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 65, along with one of their dogs, were found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza:

From the local Santa Fe New Mexican: 

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed just after midnight Thursday the couple had died, along with their dog.

Mendoza said in an interview Wednesday evening there was no immediate indication of foul play. He did not provide a cause of death or say when the couple might have died.

But the Daily Mail added this additional bit of information:

Santa Fe sheriff Adan Mendoza added that officials are ‘in the middle of a preliminary death investigation’ which is ‘active and ongoing’. The in the mystery surrounding their deaths and help detectives piece together the couple’s final moments.