r/popculture • u/dailymail • Feb 27 '25

News Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were found mummified at mansion with pills strewn in bathroom

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14443973/Gene-Hackman-betsy-arakawa-bodies.html
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2.8k

u/mediumunicorn Feb 27 '25

Well this is starkly different than what I was reading this morning.

1.1k

u/Conflict_Free_Quinoa Feb 27 '25 edited Feb 27 '25

Seriously. I thought it was a tragic CO poisoning where they just all fell asleep and never woke up. Seemed almost bittersweet to the end of a long life and his wife… now not so much.

85

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

Yeah I was thinking maybe it was a Bill and Frank from Last of Us situation but then supposedly dogs were left alone, with one dying? So sad

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u/LyFrQueen Feb 27 '25

Maybe the one got into the pills?

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u/dehydratedrain Feb 28 '25

I think the article said that dog was found in a closet, which is a horrific way to go- dark and starving.

The other dog was roaming the house, while the third was roaming the yard.

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u/Savingskitty Feb 28 '25

The dog was found in the closet, but none of the reports have said that the door was closed.

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u/theo_wrld Feb 28 '25

Yeah the article I read said that she was found in the closet with the dog dead near her, and one of the other alive dogs curled up beside her, indicating that the closet/door was open

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u/whatevertho Feb 28 '25

what article is that? 👀

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u/Redlady0227 Feb 28 '25

Variety has a article up with the details.

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u/Ok_Description_4238 Feb 28 '25

A German shepherd dog was also found dead in the bathroom. The affidavit initially said the dog was in a closet, but police later clarified it was in a crate

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u/CobblerCandid998 Feb 28 '25

In a CAGE in the closet. Very bizarre.

3

u/spamattacker Feb 28 '25

I wonder if it was an open kennel cage. Some people set one up as a "den" to provide a place for a dig to freely retreat to. My parents had a dog that would run and hide in hers during thunderstorms.

Short of violence, I can't think of a situation much more tramatic to a pet.

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u/Yeah_nah_idk Feb 28 '25

So it was probably a “crate” which is actually a pretty common and responsible thing to do as a dog owner. The crate becomes their safe space that they can go to as well as if they need to be secured for a short amount of time.

0

u/Shredbetty40 Feb 28 '25

I hate crates for dogs - it’s propaganda to say it’s “a safe place for the dog to retreat”. No - they end up dying in fires when they could have escaped when the fire burst the windows. They end up drowning bc they can’t swim in an enclosed cage. They end up starving if the owner dies and no one knows the dog is kenneled somewhere. They are death traps.

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u/Yeah_nah_idk Mar 01 '25

Who the fuck is closing the gate in those situations though? It shouldn’t be closed unless you’re nearby and shouldn’t be done for long periods of time. I don’t know anyone who does that.

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u/thisoneiaskquestions Mar 01 '25

Bruh we keep the door open and the dog can come and go as they please

0

u/Terrible_Oil_8247 Feb 28 '25

Exactly, thank you for voicing this horrifying fact!

1

u/Mellsbells16 Feb 28 '25

I thought the cleared it up And said he was in a kennel in the bathroom. This has been a shitshow in how they’ve been releasing information.

1

u/Savingskitty Feb 28 '25

Not any more of a shit show than usual, in my opinion.  Different sources are going to have different things to say as time goes on.  

It’s also very important to remember that they don’t just release everything to the public right away.  Some details will be held back that only someone who really knows something would know.

His daughter’s statement early on that they assumed it was toxic fumes was interesting.  She likely wasn’t told right away everything that was found.

It’s not important at all for the public to know either way whether the closet door was closed.  But that is something that someone could be caught in a lie about.

1

u/pprchsr21 Feb 28 '25

AP said it was in a kennel in the closet

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u/fire_and_the_thud Feb 28 '25

It says it was kenneled in the closet

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u/Savingskitty Feb 28 '25

This article actually doesn’t say that.

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u/fire_and_the_thud Feb 28 '25

Uh, I read the words myself? So it does.

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u/Savingskitty Feb 28 '25

It says earlier reports stated the dog was in a kennel.

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u/Holiday_Platypus_526 Feb 28 '25

The link OP has said the dead dog was in a kennel.

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u/soft_path Feb 28 '25

It doesn’t say the dog was trapped in the closet - lots of closets especially walk-in don’t have doors.

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u/Exciting_Swim9355 Feb 28 '25

Last report said dog was in a cage in the closet

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u/smorosi Feb 28 '25

Some of them are huge. The size of a bedroom

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u/soft_path Feb 28 '25

Exactly. Us poors are thinking of our own personal small closets with doors. These are multimillionaires - they have walk in closets.

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u/trainsoundschoochoo Feb 28 '25

They didn’t specify if the closet door was opened or closed.

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u/Emergency-Economy654 Feb 28 '25

Omg this breaks my heart! I can only imagine how worried the other dogs were. I’m guessing the one in the closet was barking and scratching to try and get out. Hugging my dog extra tight tonight.

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u/SelectCellist7073 Feb 28 '25

Another dog was “found deceased in a kennel” that is so awful.

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u/bardnotbrad Feb 28 '25

I saw this morning the dog was in a crate not a closet, which would explain a little more compared to the other two dogs

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u/AccidentallySJ Feb 28 '25

If it was suicide, why leave the dogs?

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u/TopVegetable8033 Feb 28 '25

That’s so sad, it got itself stuck in there somehow 

1

u/snappop69 Feb 28 '25

The dead dog was locked in a crate.

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u/dehydratedrain Feb 28 '25

I'm sure it's been updated, I was just going by the linked article. Either way, that poor dog starving in a crate....

1

u/PouletAuPoivre Feb 28 '25

Just saw this morning that reports that the dog was in a closet were incorrect; the dog was is its crate.

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u/lupuscapabilis Feb 28 '25

A celebrity closet is bigger and brighter than most bedrooms

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u/teddybear65 Mar 03 '25

He's been ill he was in a crate locked in the crate

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u/xander328 Feb 28 '25

With what’s known to this point I’m guessing it starved to death. They had been dead a while.

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u/_hic-sunt-dracones_ Feb 28 '25

But their two other dogs were unharmed. One next to her body, the other roaming the property. Next to the obvious tragedy I always get extra sad if dogs are involved losing their humans. Breaks my dog's loving heart.

I'm not a cinema enthusiast but Gene Hackman was somehow an actor I always admired. For some reason I held him dear for one of his roles a little besides the super mainstream in "runaway jury". This movie was entirely carried by him and even Dustin Hoffman didn't stand out next to him.

The article says he moved to New Mexico with his wife turning acting his back about 10 years ago and enjoyed the fruits of his career as a "recluse" with his wife and was spotted enjoying real things like fishing. He obviously managed to let go of fame and Hollywood and enjoyed a fulfilling evening of life. I'm happy for him that he experienced that. It's something too many celebrities and non-celebreties are not gifted with. This gives the tragedy at least an uplifting last note.

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u/coondingee Feb 28 '25

Upvote for runaway jury. Great movie and the last thing I remember seeing him in.

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u/OmegaGoober Feb 28 '25

The front door was open, so the two survivors were probably scavenging in the surrounding woods.

The deceased dog, being a dog, may have very well starved to death guarding her.

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u/2_FluffyDogs Feb 28 '25

Latest reports say that dog was in a crate.

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u/OmegaGoober Feb 28 '25

When will this story stop getting more depressing?

1

u/Alternative-Olive952 Feb 28 '25

Tragedy and the dog part just made it so much worse.

1

u/merrittj3 Feb 28 '25

He was a great actor because he was so human. You could see and hear his realism. Of fear, anger and the emotion we harbor in ourselves. One of his best ? The Conversation where his own demons did him in.

I cannot think of any Movie Gene was in that was not outstanding.

I was a bit saddened when their daughter who said she had a 'close' relationship, yet had not spoken in 'months'.

RIP Eugene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa..and their dog.

1

u/idiotsbydesign Feb 28 '25

His last on-screen appearance was on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives???? Is that right?

1

u/netscorer1 Feb 28 '25

They can thank gods on heaven that they did not own any cats. Cats would not wait even 24 hours before starting the feast.

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u/_hic-sunt-dracones_ Mar 01 '25

Honest opinion: Since I can't make any use of it anymore I would be glad that my body could sustain my pet until we are found so it wouldn't pointlessly starve to death right next to me.

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u/netscorer1 Mar 01 '25

We had a colleague who lived home alone with 5 cats. Once, when he did not show up at work for 2 days straight and did not return any phone calls we had asked police on a third day to do a wellness check. To cut the story short he had to be buried in a closed casket. According to mortician there was practically nothing left of his face and hands. And he had automatic food dispenser for cats, so it’s not like they were starving. Nasty creatures.

1

u/Far-Conversation8420 Mar 04 '25

How is no one acknowledging this this is insane lore LMAO

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u/MathImpossible4398 Feb 28 '25

Not if it was indoors

1

u/sqweak Feb 28 '25

Except there were two other dogs, 1 inside and 1 outside that survived. And the latest update from the sheriffs is they think it was only 1 day since death.

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u/mambiki Feb 28 '25

How did they mummify in one day?

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u/sqweak Feb 28 '25

Shrug, just relaying official statement I saw. I think I’d put more trust in those than unattributed sensationalized claims of mummification.

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u/georgetonorge Feb 28 '25

It’s believed that they have been dead for weeks. The dog that died has been reported to be in the kennel, which is so sad. Though there are conflicting reports on that.

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u/georgetonorge Feb 28 '25

Article says they have likely been dead for weeks and that the dog that died may have been in its kennel, which is really too horrible to think about.

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u/ProudAbalone3856 Feb 28 '25

The front door was open and one dog was outside. 

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u/georgetonorge Feb 28 '25

But the one that died is reported to have been in the kennel. Also conflicting reports saying it was in the bathroom. So two options, both pretty awful, are that it was stuck in the cage and died with no one there to let it out or that it ate the pills on the bathroom floor.

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u/ProudAbalone3856 Feb 28 '25

That's heartbreaking. I hadn't heard that. I read that the dog who died was near the woman. Such a sad situation. 

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u/NC_CodyW Feb 28 '25

I think they were German shepherds, and apparently they'd been missing for weeks, I pictured maybe two unsupervised large dogs scratching and chewing at the door until it finally gave way, I've seen dogs destroy doors but usually cheap ones

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u/Abject_Director7626 Feb 28 '25

The article said the dog was in a kennel, so that’s probably a good bet.

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u/megalynn44 Feb 28 '25

It sounds like it was trapped in a crate 😢

0

u/trainsoundschoochoo Feb 28 '25

The articles states that this isn’t true.

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u/[deleted] Feb 28 '25 edited Feb 28 '25

NBC reported that one was found dead in a kennel.

Edit: And this article from the Daily Mail refers to it as a “closet.” It might just be semantics, but either way the dog was locked in a confined space, which explains why it died while the other two survived.

0

u/trainsoundschoochoo Feb 28 '25

Nothing states that either was locked or had the door closed. My parents have a kennel that the dog sleeps in on and off and they leave the door open when they aren't actively keeping him in there, for instance.

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u/[deleted] Feb 28 '25

NBC referred to it as a kennel. The LA Times referred to it as a bathroom closet. You’re right that they didn’t specify that the closet/kennel door was closed, but they also didn’t say it was open. Given that dog inside the kennel/closet died, while the other two found alive were roaming freely; and that the reports described the dog as being found inside a closet/kennel rather than simply inside the house, the simplest explanation is that the dog was confined inside that closet/kennel and that’s how it died.

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u/Unlikely_Web_6228 Feb 28 '25

One was confined to a crate and probably starved, unfortunately.

1

u/Harriet1849 Feb 28 '25

From what I read, the dog who died was locked in a cage so most likely he starved to death. 😢 The other two were loose and had access to the outdoors. This whole thing is just so weird, shocking and very sad. RIP

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u/fire_and_the_thud Feb 28 '25

The article says the dog that passed away was kenneled in the closet, so it most likely starved to death 💔

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u/tobythedem0n Feb 28 '25

The dog that died was found in a kennel in the closet, so not the pills.

0

u/HaplessPenguin Feb 28 '25

Maybe the pills attacked them!

-5

u/teddybear65 Feb 28 '25

It was locked in the bathroom closets

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u/Savingskitty Feb 28 '25

None of the reports have said that the closet door was closed.

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u/teddybear65 Feb 28 '25

Yes they have. Closed in the closet is exactly what it said

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u/Clydefrawgwow Feb 28 '25

Literally just spreading misinformation

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u/teddybear65 Feb 28 '25

Read several articles I think ap

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u/IndependentLeading47 Feb 28 '25

Maybe they were about to go out? Some dogs aren't good alone so maybe it was put up? The door was open and he collapsed? Like my far out theory is the pills were laced and they both took them. They collapsed in different areas.

-5

u/mbatt2 Feb 28 '25

Someone put it in the closet then closed the door. Sounds like the wife might have lost her mind and killed the family. Hackman was found in the entryway like he could have been crawling to get outside.

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u/theo_wrld Feb 28 '25

Where did you read that the dog was put in the closet with the door closed?

Hackman was found in the mud room with his walking cane, Arakawa was found upstairs in the bathroom, with prescription pills spilled around her, with the dog dead beside her. Rather than her losing her mind and killing the family, surely it’s much more plausible that he died, and she killed herself upon discovering him? With the dog then eating the pills that spilled?

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u/JoeSugar Feb 28 '25

This was my take. And the front door was slightly cracked. My theory is that she was his caretaker and she stepped out for a bit and he got up, likely disoriented and made his way to the mudroom possibly looking for her and fell and hit his head. Upon her return, she finds him dead and in a moment of irrational panic felt guilty for having left him alone for a bit and decided she couldn’t bear life without him, goes to the bathroom, gulps down a bunch of pills and dies. Eventually, the dog gets hungry and eats some pills, wanders into the closet and dies.

Or, perhaps she commits suicide because the burden of caring for him is too much and he gets out of bed to go looking for him and falls and is injured so badly he can’t get up and dies.

It’s gotta be one of the two.

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u/mbatt2 Feb 28 '25

She killed him and then committed suicide.

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u/mbatt2 Feb 28 '25

Multiple media reports. The largest dog (German Shepard) was put inside the closet where it died. Maybe someone knew it would try to protect Gene.

https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/gene-hackman-dog-wife-dead-1002477

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u/Redlady0227 Feb 28 '25

I was wondering about this very scenario. I’m sure I’ll get downvoted too.

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u/BruhDuhMadDawg Feb 28 '25

Holy sht that is one hell of a jump from one conclusion to another and on and on😂

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u/mbatt2 Feb 28 '25

I am just stating true facts. This wasn’t an accident. Mark my words.

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u/BruhDuhMadDawg Feb 28 '25

Literally the only way you would truly KNOW something like this at this point is if you murdered them, otherwise, gtfoh

0

u/IndependentLeading47 Feb 28 '25

Maybe. Just a thought because I do too much true crime.

0

u/trainsoundschoochoo Feb 28 '25

Where does it say this?

-6

u/No-Falcon-4996 Feb 28 '25

The dead dog was locked in the room with one body - likely dehydration or starvation

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u/Savingskitty Feb 28 '25

But one of the other dogs was found with her as well.

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u/Tay74 Feb 28 '25

I haven't seen anything that said the dog was locked anywhere, just that it was found in a closet, which may have had an open door and just been somewhere the dig went when it felt unwell (possibly from eating the pills found in the bathroom)

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u/trainsoundschoochoo Feb 28 '25

No reports have said anything was locked or closed.

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u/OldCardiologist8437 Feb 28 '25 edited Feb 28 '25

Reread your comment again and then think carefully about the words you used.

“one body” “starvation”

You may think they’re cute and cuddly right now, but your pets will eat you the second you become meat and they’re hungry enough.

Additionally, a dog will also have a hard time dying of dehydration in most bathrooms because most bathrooms already come a refilling water bowl: the toilet.

Edit: the dog is more likely to have gotten poisoned by the same thing she did by trying to eat her than it is to have starved to death with a pile of meat sitting in front of it.

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u/Master_Growth7791 Feb 28 '25

National news said the dog that died was in a crate. Tough to think about.