The couple apparently had been dead for days or even weeks when investigators found their bodies while searching their Santa Fe home on Wednesday.
The deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, remain under investigation, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza shared at a press conference Friday afternoon. In a statement, Mendoza shared that both Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead inside a New Mexico home, as well as a dog. The door to the home was open when a maintenance worker discovered their bodies, an affidavit says.
Actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa—who were found mysteriously dead in their Santa Fe home on Wednesday—both tested negative for carbon monoxide in initial, expedited tests, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said in a press conference Friday afternoon.
Sheriff Adan Mendoza also said the last day Hackman's pacemaker registered was on February 17, suggesting he died 10 days before he was discovered.
The sheriff said it is "a very good assumption" Hackman had been dead at least 9 days, noting the "last event" on his pacemaker was on Feb. 17.
After Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 64, were found dead in their home on Wednesday, Feb. 26, his daughter said the family thinks carbon monoxide poisoning might be to blame. The investigation is ongoing.
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa tested negative for carbon monoxide after they were found dead at their New Mexico home on Feb. 26, per police.
Authorities in New Mexico continue to investigate the cause of death of actor Gene Hackman and his wife​ Betsy Arakawa, but they say it does not appear to be carbon monoxide poisoning.
New Mexico Gas Company "conducted an extensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide" at the property, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said.
The bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa showed no signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to an affidavit from a Santa Fe, N.M., detective who was seeking a search warrant for their home.