Sheriff says Gene Hackman's case is open as there are ‘loopholes’ even after cause of death is confirmed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza has revealed that the investigation into the death of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog continues to be underway even after the cause of death has been established, UNILAD reported on Sunday, March 9.

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were discovered dead in their New Mexico home along with their pet dog on February 26. Police have since confirmed that the couple died on different days on account of different reasons and not as a result of a gas leak as was initially speculated.

Autopsy reports suggested Arakawa died on February 11, while Hackman died a week later, on February 18. He may not have been aware of his wife's death on account of having advanced Alzheimer's disease.

What was the cause of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's deaths?

The cause of death for Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa has been confirmed by chief medical examiner Dr Heather Jarrell on Friday, March 7, in a press conference.

"The cause of death for Mr Gene Hackman, aged 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor," stated Jarrell in a press conference.

"Mr Hackman’s initial pacemaker data revealed cardiac activity on February 17, with subsequent pacemaker interrogation demonstrating an abnormal rhythm of atrial fibrillation on February 18, which was the last record of heart activity," she revealed. "Based on this information, it is reasonable to conclude that Mr Hackman probably died around February 18."

Jarrell noted that for classically trained pianist Arakawa, "the manner of death is natural."

"Autopsy examination and full body postmortem CT demonstrated no findings of trauma internally or externally with microscopic findings consistent with Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome," she shared.

Hantavirus infection is reportedly caused by exposure to an infected rodent's feces, saliva, or urine.

Why is the investigation into Gene Hackman's death still open?

Adan Mendoza confirmed in the press conference that the investigation into the death of the Hackmans is still underway as authorities were waiting for their cell phone records even after "a lot of the questions have been answered."

"We consider this an open investigation until we close the loopholes of the cell phones, until we finish out the necropsy results of the canine and the other loose ends that we need to tie up," he added. "But, you know, I think we're pretty close to the timeline and with the information that Dr Jarrell provided."