Gene Hackman’s nephew breaks silence on late actor’s ‘suspicious’ cause of death

The mystery surrounding Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s cause of deaths has left both fans and investigators with more questions than answers.

However, the late actor’s nephew, Tim Hackman and his family refuse to fuel “negative theories” regarding his uncle’s death.

Gene and Betsy were found alongside one of their three dogs, Zinna, in their $3.8 million Santa Fe home on February 26, with both bodies showing “obvious signs of death”. 

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza announced that February 17 was likely the day that Gene passed away as it was the last recorded date on his pacemaker.

“According to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life,” said Adan in a press conference on Friday.

According to a search warrant affidavit, detectives described their deaths as “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”.

Many theories have been circulating about what caused the couple’s deaths, including toxic gas poisoning, but Adan confirmed that Gene and Betsy both tested negative for carbon monoxide following a thorough investigation of their home by the gas company.

While there is much speculation, Tim doesn’t want to jump to any conclusions regarding what caused the mysterious tragedy.

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“We’re waiting on toxicology. That will tell us everything,” he told Us Weekly. “It’s hard to theorize. There are lots of theories out there and I don’t want to speculate. It’s easy to speculate negative theories.”

Tim added: “The family wants to keep it positive for now and when we know the truth we will deal with it.”

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Tim admitted that the description of the late couple’s mummified bodies has left him and his loved ones with lots of unanswered questions.

“My uncle was 95 years old at an age where you think about, ‘OK, it’s time’. But from the circumstances now things have changed a bit. It’s a major change,” he said.

Gene and Betsy were discovered on February 26 by a security officer who was called by the couple’s maintenance worker. The employee became suspicious after the pair failed to answer the door.

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According to the affidavit, the couple’s front door was found ajar but Santa Fe County deputies “did not observe any signs of forced entry into the home”.

Betsy’s body was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet.

She was found on the floor of the bathroom with a space heater placed near her head while an open prescription bottle was on the counter with pills “scattered” everywhere. 

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Deputies said: “The heater could have fallen in the event the female abruptly fell to the ground.” Meanwhile, the Superman actor’s body was discovered in the mudroom with the same signs of decomposition as his wife. 

Gene’s family released a brief statement following the devastating news: “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”