by Charlotte Hazard
Oscar-award winning actor Gene Hackman and wife have been found dead in their home in New Mexico, authorities reported early Thursday morning.
The couple and the family dog were found unresponsive Wednesday afternoon when police went to the couple’s Santa Fe home for a wellness check.
The family dog was also found dead, along with the 95-year-old actor’s wife, Betsy Arakawa.
While the cause of death remains unknown and foul play was not being considered by the Santa Fe County’s Sheriff’s Office initially, the AP now reports that officials are taking a scene look at the scene.
The actor was reportedly “found dead Wednesday in a mudroom and his 63-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found dead in a bathroom next to a space heater, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives wrote in a search warrant. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop near Arakawa.”
The news outlet also noted:
A worker reported that the home’s front door was open when he arrived for routine maintenance and that he called police after finding the bodies. Two workers told police that they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks earlier.
A dead German shepherd was found in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police said. Two healthy dogs were found on the property.
Hackman starred in such films as “Hoosiers,” “Unforgiven” and “The Firm.”
He won an Oscar best actor award in 1972 for his role in the film “The French Connection” in which he played a New York cop named Popeye Doyle.
Hackman is survived by his three children who he had with his ex-wife.
DEVELOPING…
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Charlotte Hazard is a reporter at Just the News.
Photo “Gene Hackman” by Christopher Michael Little CC2.0.
