Why a Pathologist Thinks 'Companion Suicide' Is 'Less Likely' in Deaths of Gene Hackman and His Wife Betsy (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Mystery continues to swirl around the deaths ofGene and Betsy Hackman, who werefound deceased in their Santa Fe, N.M., homearound at about 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

It looked like both had been dead for days, said authorities.

Actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa pose for a portrait in 1986 in Los Angeles.Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

“I’ve seen cases like that — usually they’re together in bed,” he says. “The fact that they’re in two separate locations tells me that I think that’s less likely.”

Betsy and Gene Hackman.Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Ron Galella Collection via Getty

“From the initial kind of circumstances, it seems like he may have collapsed — he’s got a history of heart disease. He’s got a pacemaker. So that would not be unusual,” Gill says. “And the fact that he’s ambulatory, that I think is important too, because sometimes we’ll see instances where someone is bedridden and maybe they have dementia and then their caregiver dies from a natural event, and then there’s no one there to take care of them, and then they can die from dehydration or what have you. I don’t think that’s the case in this.”

the home of Gene Hackman and his wife.Roberto Rosales/AP

Roberto Rosales/AP

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Hackman’s pacemaker was last working on Feb. 17, nine days before the couple was found.

Gill says there are different types of pacemakers and defibrillators, some of which can shock the heart if needed, and newer models often have WiFi or Bluetooth to record irregular rhythms, which could help determine the time of death.

“What’s the time [of Gene’s death] related to his wife?," Gill says. “When did she die? That’s a little bit of a more gray area, I think.”

source: people.com