The nation -- and many parts of the world -- was left stunned when news broke this week about Oscar-winning cinema giant Gene Hackman's death along with his wife and dog.
According to Breitbart, authorities are now saying that their deaths are now "suspicious," as the three were deceased for "some time" before authorities discovered them at their New Mexico home earlier this week.
Police were somewhat quick to rule out "foul play" as a cause of death, but later seemed to flip the script, suggesting that there's much more to the story as everyone else speculates as to what could have happened.
Carbon monoxide and gas poisoning were ruled out immediately, but police said their deaths were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation."
The way the bodies were discovered was suspicious, to say the least.
Breitbart noted:
The person who reported the deaths found the door of Hackman’s home unlocked and open, and pills scattered next to Arakawa’s body, which was found in the bathroom with a space heater near to her head. It appeared Arakawa had been dead “for some time,” with the body in a state of decomposition, TMZ reported.
Hackman's body was found with sunglasses next to it in another room. His body was fully clothed.
After actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found deceased in their Santa Fe residence, authorities are now calling their deaths "suspicious."
Originally the family believed the likely cause of death was a gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, a Santa Fe… pic.twitter.com/HCOwfODS1o
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 27, 2025
Breitbart added:
Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner, was credited for intense performances of everyman characters inspired by his troubled upbringing, notching up dozens of movie credits extending into his 70s.
He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the tough and vulgar New York cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the 1971 crime thriller “The French Connection” — for which he won an Oscar for best actor.
Former colleagues and fans alike mourned his death across social media.
Users across social media mourned his death, but also speculated on what could have happened.
"Gene dies of natural cause. Wife is grief stricken and decide to die with him. She opens the front door to let the dogs free to roam. Then overdoes on the pills and spill the bottle. One of the dog comes back in see the pills and nibbles at them and dies," one X user speculated.
Another X user wrote, "Open door, dead dog, pills scattered, heater moved—no gas leak. Somebody took them out."
Only time will tell if the actual cause of death is determined.
