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Investigators in Santa Fe, New Mexico, seeking to determine the cause of death for actor Gene Hackman, 95, his wife, 64, and one of their pet dogs are releasing more details about the tragic event.
According to a search-warrant affidavit from an officer investigating as reported by PEOPLE, the body of the two-time Oscar winner’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was in the process of decomposing when they were found.
Arakawa “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,” the report states.
Hackman’s body was discovered in the home’s entryway fully clothed, with sunglasses next to his body, the report said, while Arakawa was found dead next to a space heater in a bathroom.
On a countertop near Arakawa, pills were reportedly scattered next to an open prescription bottle, according to the search warrant.
Police said they found the body of a German shepherd in the bathroom closet. Two other dogs were found alive and roaming the property.
Mummification occurs when dead tissue turns into a hard shrunken mass, often from dehydration, per PEOPLE.
In Arakawa’s case, only her hands and feet were dried out.
The search-warrant affidavit further states the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ The French Connection star and his wife’s bodies had been in their home for days before deputies found them deceased.
Authorities also shared there is “an active and ongoing investigation” into the couple’s deaths and more details would be revealed as and when they come to hand.
