The daughter of beloved actor Gene Hackman says he and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning — as authorities said the couple and their dog were dead for at least a day before their bodies were found.
Elizabeth Jean Hackman told TMZ the family suspects her father, his wife and one of their dogs died from toxic fumes inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home.
Their bodies were found Wednesday during a welfare check. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told TMZ the bodies had been there for at least a day, and authorities are not ruling anything out as a cause for their deaths.
While there were no signs of visible trauma, Mendoza said they could have been victims of a double homicide, suicide, accidental death, or natural causes.
After their bodies were found, authorities applied for a warrant to conduct a search and called in the fire department and gas company to ensure the house was safe to search.
Authorities also discovered two of the couple’s dogs alive inside the home.
