Police say there is a “reasonable assumption” that Gene Hackman passed away when his pacemaker stopped working. They say, the pacemaker had its “last event” on 17 February.
Gene and his wife Betsy Arakawa were discovered dead in separate rooms of their home in a gated community in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday. One of their three pet dogs was also found dead near Betsy.
According to an official, the condition of the couple’s bodies indicate that they died “several days, possibly up to a couple of weeks” before being discovered. Their deaths were announced yesterday.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, in an update on Friday, said data from Hackman’s pacemaker appears to suggest the day he died. “The last event of his pacemaker was recorded on 17 February 2025,” he said. “According to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption, that was his last day of life.”
Mendoza said officials are yet to determine Hackman and Arakawa’s last known contact with other people. The county sheriff also said officials will “sift through cell phones”, examine a calendar found near the couple’s bodies and contact workers, family members and security staff, he added.
Currently officials see no signs of foul play in the deaths of the couple.