Results of gas leak testing at Gene Hackman’s home revealed

The results of gas leak and carbon monoxide poisoning testing at Gene Hackman’s home have been revealed following his mysterious death alongside his wife and dog.

The results of gas leak, carbon monoxide testing appear to definitely rule out the possibility of a gas leak inside the home of US star Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, and one of their dogs were found dead inside their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home late last month.

On Tuesday, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office shared the results of the New Mexico Gas Company’s “extensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide at Hackman’s home,” conducted on February 26. The investigation appeared to definitively rule out the possibility of a gas leak inside the home.

“There were no significant findings,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“NMGC did issue five (5) red tags. One red tag was for a minuscule leak (0.33% gas in air – not a lethal amount) at one of the stove burners. The other four red tags were for code enforcement violations – not involving gas leaks or carbon monoxide – involving a water heater and gas log lighters installed in three fireplaces.”

The Sheriff’s Office said these results “are not believed to be a factor in the deaths of Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa or their dog,” though the findings were still sent to the Office of the Medical Investigator “for consideration.”

The Sheriff’s department previously ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning as a cause of death after negative test results.

Hackman’s pacemaker showed that “his last event was recorded on February 17, 2025,” indicating this is likely when the actor died.

HACKMAN’S FAMILY SPEAKS OUT ON DEATH THEORIES

Gene Hackman’s family has addressed speculation surrounding the screen legend’s sudden death.

Now, Tim Hackman, the son of Hackman’s brother, Richard, has said that the family is waiting for the results from the coroner’s office before drawing any conclusions.

“We’re waiting on toxicology,” Tim Hackman told Us Weekly.
“That will tell us everything. It’s hard to theorise. There are lots of theories out there and I don’t want to speculate. It’s easy to speculate negative theories.”

Despite all of the questions surrounding the couple and their dog’s deaths, Tim Hackman added that “the family wants to keep it positive for now and when we know the truth we will deal with it”.

Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in separate areas of their lavish New Mexico home by maintenance workers.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza revealed that “based on their body and other evidence on the body, it looked — it appears [that they were deceased for] several days, even up to a couple of weeks.”

A former FBI agent has revealed that screen legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, may have died from food poisoning. Picture: WireImage

Santa Fe County deputies outside the house belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa. Picture: Roberto E. Rosales

The two-time Oscar winner was located next to a pair of sunglasses in their mudroom. Officers detailed in an affidavit that it appeared he had “suddenly fallen.”

Gene’s body had “obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent,” police wrote in the report.

Arakawa, meanwhile, was found on the floor of a bathroom near the home’s entry, surrounded by prescription pills. The pianist had “obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,” the affidavit read.

Police also noted there were no signs of external trauma on either of their bodies.

“There was no indication that anybody was moving about the house or doing anything different,” the sheriff said. “So it’s very hard to determine if they both passed at the time or how close they passed together.”

Meanwhile, a former FBI agent has revealed that Hackman and his Arakawa may have died from food poisoning.

The mummified remains of the 95-year-old Oscar winner and his 65-year-old wife were discovered last week in their US$3.8 million (A$6.1 million-dollar) Santa Fe home, leaving the cause of their deaths a mystery.

‘Toxicology – there could have been some other type of poisoning, possibly food? They’ll go through their trash, fridge … this is stuff the police can do in the meantime while gathering evidence,” former FBI agent Bill Daly told Fox News.

“There are a number of possibilities.”

A criminal investigation into the deaths of Hackman, his classical pianist wife, and one of their dogs in their Santa Fe home was launched after New Mexico authorities deemed the circumstances “suspicious”.

Maintenance workers found the couple, who wed in 1991, dead in their home.

Santa Fe Sheriff Department officials said that there were no obvious signs of foul play and no external trauma was seen on either Hackman or Arakawa.

An image of late US actor Gene Hackman is seen on a screen as US actor Morgan Freeman stands onstage during the 97th Annual Academy Awards. Picture: AFP

But in the latest twist, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office admitted they incorrectly identified which of the couple’s dogs was found dead in their home.

Initial reports by sheriff’s investigators included the detail that they had found “a deceased brown in colour German-Shepard [sic] canine” — a description matching the couple’s beloved German shepherd, Bear.

But Bear was alive and perfectly healthy, found in a local pet daycare facility along with Nikita, the couple’s 7-year-old Akita-shepherd mix.

The dog who actually died in the home was a 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mixed breed named Zinna.

After preliminary autopsies were completed, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that the couple tested negative for carbon monoxide.

During an appearance on Fox Report, forensic pathologist Dr Michael Baden explained that Hackman’s pacemaker, which the sheriff said last recorded an event on February 17, could offer a key clue.

Investigators have suggested that Hackman was likely to have been dead for nine days prior to the discovery of his body based on his pacemaker details.

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

“So the autopsy showed he didn’t have any injury,” Dr Baden continued.

The affidavit stated that Arakawa was found on the floor a bathroom with a space heater near her head, a prescription bottle nearby and pills scattered on a countertop. Picture: Getty Images

The entrance to the Santa Fe Summit neighbourhood where Gene Hackman lived, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Picture: AFP

“There was no carbon monoxide. And he had — the most common cause of death in this country — severe heart disease, coronary artery disease and high blood pressure perhaps, from what’s been released. So that would cause him, having cardiac arrest in the mud room, to collapse right there.”

In a search warrant affidavit released by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and obtained by Fox News Digital, investigators stated that they found Hackman’s body on the floor in a mud room with a walking cane and sunglasses nearby.

According to the documents, the detectives suspected that the actor may have “suddenly fallen.”

Dr Baden shared his theory that Arakawa’s death may have occurred after Hackman’s pacemaker stopped while she was trying to help her husband.

The affidavit stated that Arakawa was found on the floor a bathroom with a space heater near her head, a prescription bottle nearby and pills scattered on a countertop.

Authorities listed thyroid medication, blood pressure medication and an over the counter painkiller among the items they took from the house.

Neighbours in the exclusive gated community told The New York Times that despite living alongside the celebrity couple for years, most had never even seen them.

“We have a gate, they have a gate, and we’ve never even crossed paths,” James Everett, who has lived part-time next door for about five years, said.

Bud Hamilton, a neighbour for nearly two decades, said he and his wife dined with the couple just once in 20 years.

Family friends Daniel and Barbara Lenihan and their son Aaron claimed the beloved actor was “essentially kind of home-bound” in the months leading up to his death.

The previously active star, who lived a reclusive lifestyle with his concert pianist wife, had “quit riding his bike through the neighbourhood” around a year ago, they said.

Speaking to People, Aaron revealed that Arakawa had been doing her best to keep her husband “as active and engaged and as healthy as possible”.

He said: “They seemed like real life partners, really, really close to each other, and they were both incredibly kind. And they were reserved, but they were real, (and) a lot of fun.”

Barbara added: “Gene was as proud of Betsy as she was of him. She had been a concert pianist. Over at their house, she had a special building, a studio that half of it was her grand piano (and) another half was Gene’s art studio.”

It came amid claims that Arakawa had grown distant from her relatives in the months leading up to her and her husband’s tragic deaths.