Police are searching for answers after Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead at home under suspicious circumstances and as a result their daughter… see more

Gene Hackman, wife and dog found dead in home under ‘suspicious’ circumstances; 2 other dogs found alive

The couple was found during a welfare check after their neighbor called in

An investigation is underway after actor Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were mysteriously found dead alongside a dog in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, authorities said.

The couple was found on Wednesday during a welfare check, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

There were no obvious signs of how they died. However, their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation” due to all of the “circumstances surrounding” the scene, according to the search warrant affidavit.

Initial autopsy findings showed “no external trauma to either individual,” the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release Thursday afternoon. The manner and cause of death have not been determined.

Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests have been requested for both, with the official results pending, the sheriff’s office said.

The Academy Award-winning actor was found on the floor in the mud room, according to the search warrant. It appeared he fell suddenly, and he and his wife “showed obvious signs of death,” the document said.

Arakawa was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom, with a space heater near her body, according to the search warrant.

Her body showed signs of decomposition, the document said. There was mummification to her hands and feet, the document said.

On the counter near Arakawa was an opened prescription bottle, with pills scattered, according to the search warrant.