Gene Hackman's Wife Betsy Arakawa's Body Had Signs of 'Mummification'

[putnam6]

Such lousy reporting did Hackman have the same type of decomposition? This makes it sound as if Hackman was alive much longer than his wife.  
Gene Hackman's Wife Betsy Arakawa's Body Had Signs of 'Mummification' When It Was Discovered

The body of Betsy Arakawa, wife to actor Gene Hackman, was reportedly in decomposition when she, her husband and their dog were found dead in their home.
Arakawa “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,” according to a search warrant obtained by PEOPLE.
Hackman, 95, was found dead in a mudroom, per the search warrant, while Arakawa, 64, was found dead in a bathroom, with a space heater nearby. A deceased German Shepherd was found about 10-15 feet from Arakawa, per the outlet, while two other healthy dogs were also found on the property.

[quintessentone]

I am waiting for the official autopsy reports because media doesn't know what coroner's know.

[guyfriday]

I'm betting on a faulty oil furnace, and CO2 poisoning as the cause. It's a sad way to go.

[quintessentone]

I'm betting on a faulty oil furnace, and CO2 poisoning as the cause. It's a sad way to go.

The police reported that they checked for gasses before allowing anyone in to investigate, so that can't be it.

[putnam6]

Sounds as if we may never know exactly, the pills scattered make me wonder, did his wife die from something else? a heart attack, suicide? or vice versa did she find him dead and then she killed herself? 
 


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/actor-...ocialshare

While the condition of a body can provide general clues as to the time of death, it can only be an estimate, a forensic investigator not involved in the Hackman investigation told CNN.
“Under ideal circumstances and under ideal conditions, you can make a determination or get a general idea of how long they’ve been dead, but those circumstances are often never there,” said Dr. Kendall Crowns, chief medical examiner for Tarrant County, Texas.
Even a full autopsy cannot pinpoint the time of death, said Dr. Priya Banerjee, clinical assistant professor of forensic pathology at Brown University.
“It’s not like TV where we have it to the day or the minute,” Banerjee said.
Instead, medical examiners also have to rely on electronic evidence collected by police – such as phone records – to narrow the timeline.
“Oftentimes, if it’s more than a few days, there may be mail outside that’s uncollected,” said Banerjee. “Even something like a Ring (doorbell) camera or a neighbor’s Ring camera that might have picked them up outside.”

 
The causes of death are not yet known. The pair did not show any external trauma, and there were no immediate signs of foul play, according to preliminary autopsies and officials. There were also no immediate signs of a carbon monoxide or natural gas leak, authorities said.
The sheriff’s office announced it will give an update on the investigation Friday at 3 p.m. local time in Santa Fe.
The couple’s bodies were found in separate rooms in their secluded Santa Fe house, with scattered pills found next to Arakawa, according to the sheriff’s office.

[ArMaP]

The police reported that they checked for gasses before allowing anyone in to investigate, so that can't be it.

Just because there were no gases at the time doesn't mean it was impossible for any gas to have been present at a previous time.

[quintessentone]

Just because there were no gases at the time doesn't mean it was impossible for any gas to have been present at a previous time.

True, so that will be revealed during the autopsy if that was the cause. But I would think experts coming in to check gas lines would have found any sign of leaks.

[ArMaP]

True, so that will be revealed during the autopsy if that was the cause. But I would think experts coming in to check gas lines would have found any sign of leaks.

I was thinking about carbon monoxide.
It's easy for a high concentration of carbon monoxide to exist for some time in a closed space and, if nothing is producing it, it will end up being replaced by air.

[sahgwa]

I think carbon monoxide seems the most likely too.  They were both sprawled on the floor even the dog.

[Encia22]

This is very sad news, I always admired Gene Hackman as an actor and as a person. That his wife and dog are also victims is even sadder.

I believe I read that a space heater was found knocked over. If it was a combustible fuel-burning appliance, it could be that that is what caused the carbon monoxide poisoning, if that is determined to have been the cause.

R.I.P. Gene, Betsy and the pooch.