Gene Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their dog were found dead at their New Mexico home. A maintenance worker who found their bodies placed a 911 call, the audio of which has been released.
Details of the 911 Call –
In the audio recording, obtained by TMZ, the distressed worker urgently pleads with the dispatcher to send first responders to the couple’s $3.3 million Santa Fe residence.
He stammers, “I found two or one deceased person[s] inside a house” before begging, “Please send somebody really quick.” The unidentified caller, audibly sobbing, adds “[It’s] a female and a male probably. I don’t know, sir. Just send somebody up here really quick.”
The man says he wasn’t at the home with them and has “no idea” if they were “awake” or “breathing.”
“[The house] is closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in,” he says, adding, “But I see that she is lying down on the floor from the window.”
Noting no signs of movement, he says, “No, dude, they’re not moving! Just send somebody out here really quick!”
Autopsy performed –
A search warrant described the couple’s deaths as “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” NBC News reported.
As the investigation into their cause of death continues, police confirmed that autopsies have been conducted on Hackman and Arakawa.
“In the early hours of Thursday, February 27, 2025, Hackman and Arakawa were transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator,” police said in a statement, Express UK reported.
“An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual. Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were requested for both individuals.”
Police added, “The manner and cause of death has not been determined. The official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending. This remains an open investigation.”
The autopsy results could take approximately four to six weeks.
