Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their New Mexico home on Wednesday, along with one of their pet dogs.
Police have said the deaths of the two-time Oscar winner, 95, and his 63-year-old wife were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”.
Here’s everything we know so far.
When were they found?
A maintenance worker called emergency services at around 1.45pm local time after seeing the bodies when he turned up to carry out routine work, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a search warrant.
He reported the home’s front door was open when he arrived, and that he saw Arakawa’s body through a window.
In an emotional 911 call, which has now been released publicly, the unnamed worker appears to cry and repeats “damn” as he says he can see Arakawa’s body “not moving” from where he is outside.
He urges the 911 call handler to “send someone up here real quick” as he says the house was locked.
Two deputies went to the property and entered the home, the warrant says. It noted there were no signs of forced entry.
Where were the bodies found?
The bodies of the couple, who married in 1991, were found in separate rooms, authorities say.
The officers first found Arakawa in the bathroom near the home’s entrance, the sheriff’s office stated.
Santa Fe County Sheriff deputies arrive at the gated community where the couple were found dead. Pic: AP
Deputies outside the property. Pic: AP
It said she was on the floor next to a space heater, with scattered pills and an open prescription bottle on a countertop near her.
A German Shepherd was found dead in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, police added. Two healthy dogs were also found near the bodies.
Hackman’s body was discovered in a mudroom near the kitchen.
Authorities say the couple had seemingly been dead for some time.
Santa Fe sheriff Adan Mendoza told Sky News’ US partner NBC News it appeared the couple could have been dead for “several days, possibly even up to a couple weeks” before being found.
He said it was “hard to determine” whether the couple had died at the same time or not.
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What we know about how they died
Official results of post-mortem examinations and toxicology reports are pending and the manner and cause of death have not yet been determined, according to the sheriff’s office.
Preliminary findings from a medical investigation have found the couple suffered “no external trauma”.
After they found the couple, the deputies searched the rest of the property and found nothing else “out of place”, according to the warrant. All other buildings on the property and the garage were locked, and there was no evidence that the house had been “rummaged through or items were taken from inside”.
It also said there was no sign of a gas leak.
The actor’s daughter had earlier suggested they may have been killed by carbon monoxide – but the cause of death remains unclear. Speaking to TMZ, Elizabeth Jean Hackman said the family was not sure but thought the couple may have died from toxic fumes.
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An investigator noted people may not show signs of poisoning if they are exposed to gas leaks or carbon monoxide, but the local utility company tested gas lines in and around the home after the bodies were found and did not find any sign of problems, the warrant said.
In a statement to Sky News, the sheriff’s office said: “We do not believe foul play was a factor in their deaths, however exact cause of death has not been determined at this time.”
Why has it been ruled ‘suspicious enough’ for investigation?
The sheriff’s office outlined the reasons why the deaths were “suspicious enough” to require investigating.
The warrant pointed to the fact that the property’s front door was open, as well as two of the couple’s dogs being found alive while another was dead.
It also said the space heater being on the floor by Arakawa’s head was a factor, as were the pills scattered on the counter.
Earlier in the warrant document, it was noted that she could have knocked the heater over as she fell.
Sheriff Mendoza said that the pills and prescription bottle were “very important evidence”, and that other medications found in the house were “something of concern”.
The sheriff’s office said another oddity was the fact the couple were found in separate rooms and that there was no obvious sign of a gas leak.
Sheriff Mendoza has said investigators have not ruled anything out.
What is happening now?
Investigators are waiting for the results of a toxicology report, which could take up to three months or longer, Sheriff Mendoza said.
In the meantime, they are putting together a timeline of the couple’s final weeks, seeking to determine when they were last seen and spoken to, and trying to determine if they died at the same time.
The sheriff noted the investigation was only “a couple of days old” and said finding clear answers required patience.
