NEW DETAILS: Gene Hackman, Wife, Dog Dead 9 Days Before Workers See Bodies Thru Window

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

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6d ago 45:57

MP3•Episode home

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.

Joining Nancy Grace:

Joshua Ritter - Criminal Defense Attorney, Former Prosecutor ND Host of Courtroom Confidential on YouTube; X, Instagram & TikTok: @joshuaritteresq, YouTube: CRConfidential
Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker;" Featured in Hit Show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X @DrBethanyLive
Sheryl McCollum - Atlanta Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder; Host : Zone 7, X @149Zone7
Dr. William Morrone - Medical Examiner, Toxicologist, Pathologist, Opioid Treatment Expert, and Author: “American Narcan: Naloxone & Heroin-Fentanyl Associated Mortality”
Jessica Finn - Senior Investigative Reporter at The U.S. Sun, the-sun.com, jessicafinnnyc (Twitter/ IG) @jessicafinn.bsky.social

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