The award-winning actor Gene Hackman, 95, passed away last Wednesday alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 63 and one of the couple’s three dogs.

Despite Hackman’s advanced age, his death was not due to natural causes. A security guard and property caretaker found the actor and his wife in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Feb. 26.

From what has been released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Hackman’s pacemaker stopped on Feb. 16, ten days before the couple was discovered. 

Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden, who hosts HBO’S show “Autopsy,” presented theories based on the press conferences held by Santa Fe County Sheriff Mendoza and what has been released in the affidavit and autopsy.

Starting with Hackman’s pacemaker, Baden theorized that the famed actor fell while having a cardiac event. As noted in the affidavit, Hackman was found lying on the floor of the home’s mudroom, with a walking cane, sunglasses and a pair of slippers – Baden believes he was heading outside with his three dogs when he suddenly collapsed.

“That event would have been a cardiac arrest caused by an abnormal pulse rate,” he told Fox Report anchors. “The pacemaker keeps track of the pulse and when it gets down too low, it discharges. And that’s all in the record.”

Baden also revealed that the autopsy noted that Hackman had severe heart disease. Such an event at his age would likely be fatal. 

As for Arakawa, Baden believes her death happened after Hackman’s. In a state of distress, Arakawa could have rushed to the bathroom and fallen in the process, taking a black space heater down with her and scattering the various prescription medications. When deputies discovered her body, the heater appeared to have been knocked down when Arakawa fell. He also theorized that she had a heart disease as well, which could have been deadly in a dire situation. 

An alternate theory Baden presented was that Arakawa could have an internal head injury that resulted in brain bleeding, rendering her unconscious and unable to call for help for herself or her husband, explaining why a call from the residence was not made sooner.

Initially, the scattered pills were of concern to the police; their search warrant of the house allowed them to take all drugs found for testing. Many following the case theorized that Arakawa committed suicide, whether accidentally or on purpose, after discovering the body of her husband. 

The pills found were prescription and are believed to be Hackman’s, adding weight to Baden’s theory that Arakawa was trying to assist her husband after falling before finding herself in tragically similar circumstances.

The investigation is still ongoing and none of the pitched theories have been confirmed. According to the affidavit, police have reason to continue searching the house due to suspicious circumstances. When they arrived on the scene Wednesday afternoon, the front door was found ajar. One of the two remaining dogs was found lying beside Arakawa before joining the other outside, running loose on the property. 

The deceased dog is believed to have died from starvation or dehydration due to its inability to get out of its kennel. The German shepherd was found in a kennel located in the bathroom, just 15 feet from Arakawa.

Reports from when the news first broke speculated the couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning. However, firefighters conducted multiple tests on the pipes in and around the home and determined that no gas leaks occurred. Carbon monoxide has not been completely ruled as the cause of death for the actor and his wife; the Santa Fe police believe it to be highly unlikely.

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