Gene Hackman’s Daughter Talks Death Investigation & Calls Circumstances ‘Upsetting’

Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their Santa Fe home Wednesday, and now his daughter Leslie Anne Hackman is opening up about the investigation into the bizarre circumstances.

Gene and Betsy were found dead in separate rooms. Each showed signs of having abruptly fallen, and there were pills scattered near Betsy’s body. One of their dogs was also found dead.

Leslie told Us Weekly, “I think I’m very anxious to find out what happened, and I just don’t know how long they had been deceased. [The authorities] don’t know yet either.”

Leslie explained, “Someone, the HOA maybe, hadn’t heard from Betsy in a couple weeks, so they went over and saw the dogs were loose. There was one dog inside the house [deceased] and one or two loose [dogs] inside the yard, so they called the police to do a welfare check.”

The 58-year-old found the circumstances surrounding their deaths “very strange,” and said there was “no indication of any problem in their house,” where they had lived for many years. “There’s never been an issue,” she said.

As for concerns of a carbon monoxide leak, Leslie confirmed, “The police did call the fire department to come out to check. That was one of the things they thought might have happened [was] carbon monoxide because the dog was found dead as well.”

A search warrant obtained by “Extra” stated that the gas company inspected the property but found no signs of a gas leak.

She called the death of her dad and stepmom “upsetting,” saying, “I much would have rather my dad pass peacefully, but hopefully if it was carbon monoxide poisoning [there was] no suffering with that. That’s my main concern.”

Now, she and her siblings will “wait to find out what actually happened.” They plan to travel to New Mexico once they are allowed access to their father’s home. “The police won’t let us go in when they are still investigating,” she explained. “We will be going out there.”

Leslie also spoke with DailyMail.com, sharing that as far as she knew, her father was in good health when he died. “There was no indication that there was any problem,” and he had not undergone any recent surgeries.

She shared, “Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition… He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So, he was in good health.”

Leslie added that considering his age, his passing was “not terribly shocking because he was 95.”

“We were close,” she said, adding, “I hadn't talked to them for a couple months, but everything was normal and everything was good.”

Hackman was married to Faye Maltese from 1956-1986. They shared Leslie and her siblings Elizabeth and Christopher. He wed Betsy in 1991.

On Thursday, a search warrant obtained by “Extra" revealed Gene and Betsy’s deaths were considered "suspicious" after authorities found their front door open and no sign of a carbon monoxide leak.

The document states, “At this time; the manner and cause of death pertaining to Eugene ‘Gene’ Allen Hackman and Betsy Arakawa passing is unknown. Affiant believes that the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation because the reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak.”

A press release from the Sheriff’s Department added, “It should be noted there were no apparent signs of foul play.”

The release continued, “In the early hours of Thursday, February 27, 2025, Hackman and Arakawa were transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator. An autopsy was performed. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either individual. Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were requested for both individuals.”

“The manner and cause of death has not been determined,” it went on. “The official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending. This remains an open investigation.”