Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa possibly died nine days before being found on Wednesday.
While the cause behind the deaths is still unknown as no foul play or carbon monoxide poisoning was detected in preliminary autopsy, further examination revealed that Hackman’s pacemaker stopped working on February 17—meaning he may have died nine days earlier, per Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza.
Authorities do not believe the home had any surveillance cameras, Mendoza said at a news conference.
Retired chief medical examiner in Arizona Dr. Philip Keen also shared insights on the incident, explaining that the moment when a pacemaker stops working could mark the point when a person dies, but not always.
“If your heart required a pacemaker, there would certainly be an interruption at that point—and it might be the hallmark of when the death occurred,” AP quoted Keen. “But it’s not necessarily because some people get a pacemaker to augment things, not necessarily replace things.”
Toxicology test results are expected to be completed in the coming weeks, which might reveal if the pills that were found scattered on the site were a factor in their deaths.
Investigators who searched the home retrieved medication that treats high blood pressure and chest pain, thyroid medication, Tylenol, and records from medical diagnostics testing, court records filed Friday showed.
The couple were found after a maintenance worker, who showed up to do routine work at the house, could not get inside and called a security worker, who then spotted two people on the ground, Mendoza said.
One of their dogs was also found dead in a closet while two other dogs in the residence remained healthy.
