On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Gene Hackman was found dead at age 95 in his New Mexico home along with his wife, 64, who was a classical pianist, and one of their pet dogs.
According to an affidavit from an officer requesting a search warrant and obtained by PEOPLE, the body of the two-time Oscar winner’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was in the process of decomposing when they were found. Arakawa “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,” the report states.
The deputy advised the male decedent also showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent.
Mummification occurs when dead tissue turns into a hard shrunken mass, often from dehydration. When an individual dies, the body starts naturally decomposing almost immediately. Natural mummification can occur in dry, hot environments.
In Arakawa’s case, only her hands and feet were dried out.
Artificial mummification can be achieved through a number of processes like embalming, wrapping the body, etc. Ancient Egyptians used mummification to preserve the body after a person died.
The complete mummification of the human body is a time-consuming process and typically takes several weeks to 6-12 months, according to a report published by the National Institutes of Health. This time can vary depending on conditions, the most important reportedly being dry air, good ventilation, solar radiation and high temperature.
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According to the search-warrant affidavit, the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ that The French Connection star and his wife’s bodies had been in their home for at least a day before deputies found them deceased.
Authorities also shared that there is “an active and ongoing investigation” into the couple’s deaths.
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