Gene Hackman died at least nine days before they found the mummified bodies of his wife and he

Gene Hackman died at least nine days before maintenance workers found his body with his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, and one of his dogs in his residence in New Mexico, police reported.

The Sheriff of Santa Fe, Adan Mendoza, confirmed that the last “event” recorded in the pacemaker of The French Connection occurred on February 17. “According to the pathologist, it is a reasonable assumption that this was the day of his death,” Mendoza explained on Friday, noting that this date is key to reconstructing the chronology of the facts that led to the tragic outcome. Hackman, 95 years old, and Arakawa, 65, were found Wednesday in their mansion in Santa Fe, vaorada in several million dollars. He also found himself dead to one of his dogs, a German shepherd. At the moment, the authorities have not determined who died first, since the autopsies are ongoing to clarify the causes of death.

Days without contact and a macabre discovery

The winner of two Oscar awards retired from the cinema in 2004. In 2009, he explained to a British magazine that he made the decision after his doctor warned him that his heart was not in a position to endure stress. For at least two weeks, the maintenance workers of the private community in which the actor lived had no news of him or his wife. The lack of response when they went to the property to perform routine work aroused suspicions and finally led to the discovery of the bodies. On Friday morning, the police had already indicated that, according to the first evaluations, the couple could have been dead for several days or even weeks before being discovered.

Finding of bodies and first hypotheses

Hackman was found in what the authorities believe it was the “mudoom” of the house (a kind of lobby to leave coats and footwear), next to a couple of sunglasses. The scene suggests that the actor suddenly collapsed. Near his body was also found his cane for walking. Arakawa’s body was discovered in the bathroom floor, in an advanced state of decomposition and mummification. Next to him was an open medication bottle and scattered pills. The authorities indicated that the body of the iconic protagonist of Unforgiven presented obvious signs of having been lifeless for a prolonged period. While the results of the autopsies are expected, the investigation is still open to clarify the exact circumstances of the death of Hackman and his wife.