Gene Hackman, wife and dog are found dead at home

[Chuchoter]

Legendary Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been found dead in their Santa Fe home.
The couple, who had been married since 1991, were found alongside their dog. Local media has reported that no foul play is suspected.
Hackman had just turned 95 in late January. He was known for being a reclusive person, having not starred in a movie since 2004, when he played Monroe 'Eagle' Cole in the political satire Welcome to Mooseport.
Born in California on January 30 1930, the actor had enlisted in the army after lying about his age at 16, serving for four-and-a-half years.
After moving back to California following his military service, he decided to pursue acting after briefly living in New York.
RIP

Superb actor.

I think that in the immediate throes of grief and seeing your partner of three decades die, it’s possible the other partner could react in a huge number of ways.

Exactly that.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqlyy1rld0ko.amp
2 other dogs found healthy, both Hackman and Arakawa dead for some time , he seemed to possibly had a fall and she had spilled medication nearby, the dead dog was in a closet next to her.

she might have rushed to get his medication and tripped and knocked her head

Perhaps Gene had a fall or heart attack and died. His wife was distraught so took lots of tablets?

Eve when police get to the bottom of the cause of death, they may never discover the whys and wherefore.

that is what i think :
Perhaps Gene had a fall or heart attack and died. His wife was distraught so took lots of tablets? @MyBoyFlattop

I think @littleluncheon's theory is a very real possibility: "I would imagine Betsy sadly died unexpectedly and everyone else was reliant on her - Hackman fell while alone in another room in the house (just a fall is enough to kill a 95 year old) and the dog was unfortunately crated or shut in another room/walk in closet at the time."

Betsy was much younger but still mid 60s so could have had heart issues, had a stroke etc. if they were outside, she may have realised she was having a heart attack or something and rushed inside to get her pills but collapsed in the bathroom. Gene rushed inside and in his haste fell and either died instantly or from lack of help as neither had mobiles in hand to call 911. The dog who died was crated and died from no water but the others were ok as there was water in the kitchen / outside.

I

I think the police theories on what happened will be dependent on if the pills scattered around Betsy were hers or Gene's and what they were for. Also if Gene had any broken bones although a 95 year old likely wouldn't have the strength to get up unaided even if he didn't have broken bones.

unlikely. He was 95. She must've been aware for over a decade or so, that his death was likely imminent.

@julios

You can still be distraught if someone is very elderly! The older they are then the longer they have been part of your life.

They may never get to the bottom of what happened!

@HelenWheels

I was responding to the comment that she'd killed him in a dignatas style act of love.

Or it was carbon monoxide poisoning. He collapsed and died in the mud room. She had a splitting headache (very common symptom) and went to get some medication felt dizzy (another symptom) and collapsed and died.

@MyrtleLion that does to me seem the most obvious - especially with medication scattered around too - I would be suprised if it was a suicide kind of thing because of where they were found- if it was planned you would think in bed was more likely - maybe the fact the door was open was because they realised there was an issue , opened the door and went back to try and get the dogs but were overcome

That is a normal part of life when you hear a famous person - specifically a couple an a dog - did in suspicious circumstances. Have you just appeared in society?

I thought they’d ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning?

I don't think anything is ruled out until after the full post mortems. From Sky News:

The local utility company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were found and did not find any sign of problems, the police warrant said. A fire brigade official later confirmed that they "did not find anything in the home" relating to a gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning but said a leak could have dissipated.

CO would only be detectable if it was an active leak surely?

Eg a boiler comes on, leaks CO, people die, boiler goes off, no CO detectable in the atmosphere.

It is a massive open plan house with huge windows and balconies, which makes the CO hypothesis less likely.

For those speculating on a suicide pact/Dignitas ...

Obviously you can't rule anything out, but I'd have thought it unusual he would have been found on the floor in the boot room with his glasses on the floor next to him. She was then found in another room (utility?) and the dog was shut in a cage/kennel.

I realise desperate people can do desperate things, but if that was the case I'd envisage they'd have chosen somewhere more peaceful, ie the bedroom?

I believe posts like that were largely before more information came out re the locations of the bodies.

BA was found in the bathroom, not utility room, and the dead dog was not in a cage/kennel but in a closet - possibly because the door shut automatically and no one was there and alive/capable to free the dog.

From CNN:

Scattered pills were found near the body of Arakawa, who was found lying on the ground inside a bathroom with an open bottle of prescription pills on a countertop nearby, the affidavit said. A space heater was found near her head and a dog was found dead in the bathroom closet, according to the affidavit.
Hackman’s body was discovered on the ground in another room near the kitchen. The deputy “suspected the male individual (had) suddenly fallen,” the affidavit said. Both Hackman and Arakawa appeared to have died days earlier, the deputy said.

According to his pacemaker, he died on 17th February. No signs of carbon monoxide and neither body had external trauma.

Sounds like a very sad event.

It also seems there was limited mobile coverage at their home and that closet has been corrected to crate (for the dog)

The theory that she died first unexpectedly makes sense to me. She would have been his carer as it seems they had little input from others. They had 3 dogs, if they had planned a suicide pact I believe they would have ensured the dogs were looked after or at least left with enough food and water to survive until the bodies were discovered.

I believe, as others have said that she died first or was in a sudden serious state of ill health in the bathroom. The dog was put in a room or other space to be kept out of the way after Gene discovered her. Perhaps in his haste he dropped the medication, or she did, and later fell when trying to get help. At 95 a fall is enough.

Either way very sad for an incredibly talented couple.

Very sad for this whole situation, especially the dog.

Just watched “behind enemy lines” for the young who don’t know who he was, an absolutely must watch, true film. His acting was just pure magic, you just can’t take your eyes off him. Now I will be trolling the charity shops for some of his older films.
RIP Gene & Betsy