Emotional 911 call follows discovery of mummified bodies of Gene Hackman and wife

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Authorities are investigating the deaths of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog at their home in New Mexico after their partially mummified bodies were found by a maintenance worker Wednesday.
Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies responded to the incident and discovered Betsy Arakawa’s body in a bathroom with prescription pills scattered on a counter top nearby. Hackman’s body was found in a separate room, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in the Santa Fe County Magistrate Court. Both bodies showed signs that they had fallen down abruptly and were partially decomposed, with bloating in the face and mummification in the hands and feet.
There were no signs of obvious blunt-force trauma, carbon monoxide poisoning or forced entry into the home, according to the warrant. Although one dog was found dead inside the home, there were two other dogs running around the property.
The arriving deputies believed “the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” according to the warrant. The Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that there were no apparent signs of foul play.
Audio of the 911 call obtained by Fox News reveals the harrowing moments before police arrived.
The emotional caller, whose name was redacted, can be heard telling the dispatcher that he can see what appears to be one or two unmoving bodies inside the house. He is shaken by the sight, repeatedly saying “damn” and urging authorities to rapidly respond.
“No, they are not moving. Please send someone out here quick,” the caller says.
Deputies arrived at the house on Old Sunset Trail in Santa Fe shortly before 2 p.m. and discovered that the front door was ajar. Inside, they found Hackman, 95, Arakawa, 64, and the dog.
Arakawa’s body was found in a bathroom near a space heater, which a deputy suspected could have fallen if she abruptly fell to the floor, according to the warrant.
The Sheriff’s Office said a full investigation is underway. The cause of death will be determined by the state Office of the Medical Investigator, officials said, and the case remains open, with authorities awaiting full autopsy and toxicology reports.
Initial autopsy results showed there was no external trauma to either Hackman or Arakawa.
According to the warrant, deputies found a dead German shepherd in a bathroom closet about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa.
Hackman’s body was found on the floor near the kitchen, and he appeared to have fallen suddenly, according to the warrant. The deputy found a walking cane and sunglasses near his body.
Hackman’s daughter Leslie told Fox News Digital that her father was in good health and did yoga and Pilates regularly.
She said she hadn’t seen him in a few years, but they remained close and had “been in touch over the last couple of months.”
“I loved him dearly,” she told the news site. “He was a genuinely good-hearted person.”
Actor Gene Hackman got his break in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and rose to stardom in ‘The French Connection.’ He was 95.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told the Santa Fe New Mexican that it was unclear when the couple died.
“All I can say is that we’re in the middle of a preliminary death investigation,” he told the paper. “I want to assure the community and neighborhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone.”
The maintenance worker who found the couple last had contact with them two weeks ago, according to the warrant.
Deputies found two other dogs on the property, one in the bathroom near Arakawa and the other outside the house, according to the search warrant. The garage was locked along with other buildings on the property and there were no signs that the home was “rummaged through or items taken from inside the residence.”
The deputy reported that nothing appeared to be out of place while he was clearing the house, according to the warrant.
The Santa Fe Fire Department did not find any signs of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning when they tested the home. There were no immediate signs of any issues with the gas line in the home, and New Mexico Gas Co. was assisting with the investigation.
Typically, the couple’s maintenance workers kept in touch with Arakawa through text messages and phone calls, according to the warrant. They spoke to Hackman and Arakawa two weeks earlier and rarely interacted directly with the couple when doing routine chores around the house.
After the home was deemed safe, a search warrant was executed around 9:30 p.m. Investigators worked overnight at the home, and Hackman’s and Arakawa’s bodies were transported early Thursday morning.
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