While an official investigation into Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s deaths is underway, his daughter Leslie Anne Allen has several questions of her own.
“I think I’m very anxious to find out what happened and I just don’t know how long they had been deceased,” Leslie, 58, exclusively told Us Weekly shortly after news of his death broke on Thursday, February 27. “[The authorities] don’t know yet either.”
Leslie is the youngest of Hackman and his ex-wife Faye Maltese’s three children. The pair, who were married from 1956 to 1986, also shared son Christopher, 65, and daughter Elizabeth, 63. Hackman went on to wed Arakawa, in 1991. (Leslie told Us that Arakawa had no children or siblings.)
News broke on Thursday that Hackman and Arakawa and one of their family dogs were found dead in their New Mexico home one day prior at the ages of 95 and 63, respectively. “Foul play is not suspected as a factor in those deaths at this time, however, [the] exact cause of death has not been determined,” the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to Us, noting that one of their dogs was also found deceased. “This is an active and ongoing investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.”
No Signs of Carbon Monoxide Leak Found at Gene Hackman’s House: Report
However, a sheriff’s department search warrant obtained by TMZ on Thursday called the situation “suspicious.” Arakawa was reportedly found lying next to a space heater in a “state of decomposition with bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet.” Hackman, meanwhile, was found fully clothed in another room with a pair of sunglasses next to him.
Leslie confirmed a concerned neighbor called police and authorities have questioned if carbon monoxide poisoning was a factor.
“The police did call the fire department to come out to check,” she told Us. “That was one of the things they thought might have happened [was] carbon monoxide because the dog was found dead as well.”
“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.”
According to Leslie, the circumstances of the couple’s deaths are “very strange,” and to her knowledge there was “no indication of any problem in their house” in the more than 30 years they lived in New Mexico. “There’s never been an issue,” she told Us.
Leslie told Us that the news and subsequent details of the couple’s shocking passing is very “upsetting,” adding, “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.” (Fire department officials told TMZ on Thursday that there were “no signs” that the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.
She also noted that she and her siblings have been in touch with Santa Fe police as the investigation continues and will “wait to find out what actually happened” before they travel to New Mexico. “The police won’t let us go in when they are still investigating,” she stated. “We will be going out there.”
What to Know About Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy’s Death and Investigation
Leslie, Elizabeth and Hackman’s granddaughter, Annie, addressed the actor and Arakawa’s deaths in an official statement to Us on Thursday. “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” they wrote. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Hackman was regarded as one of the world’s most recognized actors over the course of his six-decade career. In addition to scoring two Oscars, he was best known for his iconic roles as Lex Luthor in the original Superman film franchise and as Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the classic 1971 film The French Connection. He famously retired from acting after starring alongside Ray Romano in the 2004 comedy Welcome to Mooseport.
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
