Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home after workers saw bodies through a window when no one answered the door.
Gene Hackman, 95, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, and a dog were found dead.
Officers found the front door of Hackman’s two-story green stucco home slightly ajar but saw no signs of forced entry. During a search, deputies found all other buildings and the garage of the $3.8 million home locked and secured. The home did not appear to have been rummaged through, and no items were reported missing. An officer noted that nothing seemed “out of place.”
According to a search warrant affidavit, officers entering the home saw a bathroom to the left of the front door. The bathroom door was open, and Betsy Arakawa was lying on her right side, deceased. Police said she was wearing dark gray sweatpants and a light-colored sweatshirt. A black space heater was near her head, but the report did not state whether it was on. Officers also saw an open orange prescription bottle with pills scattered on the countertop. A deputy reported obvious signs of death, including body decomposition, facial bloating, and mummification in her hands and feet.
Deputies then saw feet and legs near the kitchen. They found Gene Hackman dead in the mudroom. He was wearing gray sweatpants, a blue long-sleeve T-shirt, and brown slippers. He had a walking cane and a pair of sunglasses. Hackman showed similar signs of death as his wife.
An autopsy was performed, but initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual. In a press conference, authorities said Arakawa died February 11 from hantavirus. However, new documents show she made multiple phone calls and was seen on February 12.
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[Feature Photo: FILE – Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)]
