An initial pathologist report found that Gene Hackman likely died on Febuary 17th, according to the actor’s pacemaker activity.
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s County held a press conference Friday afternoon to provide an update on the circumstances of Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths, and while much of the information was previously revealed in a search warrant from the incident, Sheriff Adan Mendoza told the press Hackman’s “last day of life” was likely nine days before his body was found.
The official cause of deaths for both Hackman and Arakawa are still pending the results of the autopsies and toxicology reports, both of which were expedited, Mendoza said. The pathologist was able to share the information gathered from Hackman’s pacemaker and its “last event” prior to the press conference.
The exact timeline of events — including whether Hackman or Arakawa died first — is still unknown. However, investigators have all but ruled out carbon monoxide as a cause of death, as “both individuals tested negative” to poisoning.
Mendoza again reiterated that foul play is not suspected, as “initial findings noted no external trauma.” Due to HIPAA laws, the sheriff also declined to answer which decedent required the prescription pills found in the bathroom where Arakawa and one of the couple’s dogs were found dead. Hackman’s body was found in a mudroom off of the home’s kitchen.
While the couple’s cell phones were among the evidence taken in by investigators, the devices have not yet been unlocked, so investigators don’t yet know what was the last contact the couple had prior to their deaths. One of Hackman’s daughters admitted in an interview Friday that she hadn’t spoken to her father in months.
From Rolling Stone US
