Off The Record
A Top Forensic Specialist Shares His Terrifying Theory About Gene Hackman’s Death
There was much conjecture over the “suspicious” deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their beloved dog after they were discovered dead in their Santa Fe home.
According to a terrifying theory now advanced by a top forensic specialist, their untimely deaths were caused by a heartbreaking accident.
The devastating news that renowned actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, had been discovered dead in their Santa Fe home stunned Hollywood on February 26. Two dogs in the house survived, but one of their cherished dogs was also discovered dead.
Peculiar details
The application for a search warrant provides some fascinating information regarding the bodies’ discovery, which begs more concerns regarding how they died.
When officers entered the home, they “immediately observed a bathroom to the left of the front door. The door to the bathroom was opened.”
Arakawa was discovered on the bathroom floor, “a black in color space heater near the female’s head,” and an open prescription bottle with scattered pills were found on the counter.
The body of a German-Shepard dog was also found, “approximately 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom.”
Upon further inspection of the home, the Unforgiven star was found on the ground of what’s “believed to be a mudroom,” a cane and sunglasses on the ground near him.
Both Hackman and Arakawa, whom he married in 1991, appeared to have fallen quickly and displayed indications of decomposition.
Theories ruled out
The reticent couple “had been deceased for quite a while,” said Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. He then disclosed that on February 17, Hackman’s pacemaker recorded its final heartbeat.
Authorities ruled out an obvious break-in despite the strange scenario, noting that neither Hackman nor Arakawa showed any evidence of blunt force damage and that there were no obvious signs of forceful entrance.
Additionally, the Santa Fe City Fire Department ruled out the potential of carbon monoxide poisoning after discovering no signs of the harmful gas in the house.
Wife tried to help
In a recent interview with Fox News, Dr. Michael Baden, the former chief medical examiner in New York City, suggested that Hackman’s pacemaker may provide insight into the circumstances of all three fatalities.
“That event would have been a cardiac arrest caused by an abnormal pulse rate,” Baden said. “The pacemaker keeps track of the pulse, and when it gets down too low, it discharges. And that’s all in the record.”
The forensic pathologist concluded that the actor most likely had a fatal heart attack.
“So the autopsy showed he didn’t have any injury,” Baden said. “There was no carbon monoxide. And he had – the most common cause of death in this country – severe heart disease, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure perhaps, from what’s been released. So that would cause him, having cardiac arrest in the mudroom, to collapse right there.”
According to Baden, Arakawa was still alive at the time of Hackman’s episode.
“His wife was found in the bathroom. They haven’t released the information about her findings, except that she did not have carbon monoxide in her,” Baden said. He next explains that before she died, she was likely rushing to get his blood pressure pills from the bathroom when she spilled the pills, slipped and had the space heater strike her head.
“She may have struck her head on the way down and had some internal injury to the brain that doesn’t show up on the outside or bleeding in the inside of the brain,” the doctor said. “Or that she may also, at 65, had severe heart disease and excitement can cause a trigger to the cardiac rhythm causing death under those circumstances. I think the first, that striking her head would be more common.”
This idea is supported by the evidence discovered at the scene. Pills were found next to her body, indicating that she had found the medication but never returned it to her dying husband.
Trapped dog
Three pets were owned by the couple. Two dogs were located on the property, both healthy and alive, while the deceased dog was found “10-15 feet” from Arakawa “in a closet of the bathroom.”
According to the warrant, “one of the healthy dogs was initially observed near the deceased female (inside the bathroom) and the other healthy dog was observed outside the residence.”
“What was perplexing to me initially with the release was the death of a dog also, which I thought was free in the house,” Baden said, referring to the affidavit that claims the dog was in a bathroom “closet” and other reports that say he was trapped in a kennel.
He adds, “And that’s why I think that the carbon monoxide [theory] was a very good thought with them breathing in the same air. But it turns out from what they say, that the dog was constrained in his cage or kennel and would have died from just dehydration and lack of water during the nine-day period that he couldn’t get out of the kennel.”
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