Actor Jean Hackman was found dead in the mudroom of his New Mexico home, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found dead on her bathroom floor on Wednesday, according to a search warrant affidavit. An open prescription bottle and scattered pills were found near her body at the bathroom counter.
According to the affidavit, Arakawa discovered a dead German shepherd 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa. There were no obvious signs of a gas leak in the home, it said, and the fire department found no signs of a carbon monoxide leak. The maintenance worker who found them said they had not been in contact with the couple for two weeks.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Thursday afternoon that there were “no obvious signs of foul play.”
The sheriff's office said the autopsy of Hackman and Arakawa took place on Thursday. Neither had any initial signs of external trauma. He said both carbon monoxide and toxicological tests were required, but results were still pending and the cause of their deaths had not been determined.
“This remains an unresolved investigation,” the Sheriff's Office said.
Detective Roy Aldo wrote in a search warrant affidavit that Arakawa was found lying by her side on the bathroom floor with a space heater near her head, the affidavit said. The aide who found her said he suspected that the heater had fallen with Arakawa, Filing said.
Arakawa's body showed signs of decomposition, the affidavit said it was “mummified both the hands and feet.” The dead dog was found in the closet near her, with two other dogs found alive at the facility. Hackman's body was then found, showing signs of “similar and consistent” death with his wife's body.
The sheriff's office was called to the scene after maintenance workers went to the house Wednesday afternoon to work when no one answered the door, and after maintenance workers were worried. The workers asked local security guards to conduct welfare checks and asked them when they arrived and saw the unresponsive body through a window called 911.
A pair of lawmakers arrived and found Arakawa in the bathroom and Hackman lying in a mud room in a similar condition to his wife's room, the affidavit said. He was found with grey sweatpants, a blue long-sleeved T-shirt, brown slippers and a cane, the affidavit said. A pair of sunglasses were found on his left side. One representative on the scene said he appeared to “fall suddenly,” the affidavit said.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said in a telephone interview that investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the death. The sheriff said the home was continuing to be searched Thursday.
“There's nothing obvious like that in this stage in the process,” he said. “An autopsy will teach you more.”
Hackman was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two in his 40-year career. He appeared in films seen by millions of people, including Bonnie and Clyde, French Connections, Poseidon Adventure, Mississippi Burning, Relentless, Superman, Hoosiers, and Royal Tenenbaum.
In an affidavit seeking a search warrant, Detective Arndt wrote Wednesday that he believes “the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two deceased are sufficiently suspicious in nature to require thorough search and investigation.”
The magistrate granted the search warrant so that authorities could collect items from the home, including documents, drugs found and flammable materials.
The couple had winding roads and mountain views at their remote neighborhood home above downtown Santa Fe.
Hackman filmed several films there before moving to Santa Fe County in the 1980s. He quietly retired from Hollywood over 20 years ago and wrote several historical adventure novels along with his friend Daniel Lenihan. He was sometimes seen in downtown Santa Fe.
A passionate painter who uses the surrounding mountains as inspiration, Hackman was once an executive at the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, one of Santa Fe's main cultural attractions. He spoke at the museum's opening in 1997 and later shared a short documentary about the artist.
Many of his paintings, including landscapes and portraits, hang in Jinja, an Asian fusion restaurant in Santa Fe, where the couple invested, said restaurant owner Doug Lanham.
Mr. Lanham, a friend of Mr. Hackman, remembered him as a known prank. He said Hackman once persuaded the child to give a squirting gun at a local country club event, then filled it with red wine.
“People treated him like a small part of the community, so he loved Santa Fe,” Lanham said.
In recent years, Hackman retreated more when he grew older, but remains focused on his wife and dogs, Lanham said.
Barbara Lenihan, wife of Lenihan and friend of the couple who has known her for over 30 years, said she last spoke to Arakawa, a partner in the local home decoration business in January. Hackman seemed frail and growing up, she said, but he was still painting and painting.
“Even though everyone loved being around them, they were always somewhat hidden,” she said.
Kirsten Neus Reports of contributions.
