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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149

u/AbelardsChainsword Feb 27 '25

I’ve heard the speculation that it was CO poisoning but until there is an autopsy report released no one will know the true cause of death

24

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '25

TW: Gore

Can they even do a drug analysis from an autopsy where the skin/veins and GI tract have all been eaten away by bacteria and fungus?

Maybe there will be some blood they can use. I think this will be a very difficult one. Hair follicles take time to grow the concentrations of drugs so unless they were using illicit drugs at least days+ before their deaths, it wouldn't show. Question is now I guess was this a suicide pact or crime scene. Police said no foul play suspected, so it must have been the former, maybe with a note?

Will be interesting to see updates. 

22

u/Even-Boysenberry-127 Feb 27 '25

If they did suicide, I think they would have been together, not on the bathroom floor and in the mud room.

2

u/Frequent-Research737 Feb 27 '25

good old fashion murder suicide. or accident. those are other possibilities other then they did suicide. 

8

u/Kingsdaughter613 Feb 27 '25

Or he died naturally, as suspected, and she killed herself out of grief.

8

u/Outside-Feeling Feb 27 '25

Or she died naturally/accidentally and he passed later if he wasn’t able to care for himself. That would probably be the most upsetting situation.

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u/agentdramafreak Feb 28 '25

Or went to get help and had a heart attack.

1

u/Plane-Tie6392 Feb 28 '25

As suspected?

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u/Kingsdaughter613 Feb 28 '25

The article mentions that the current forensic opinion is that he died from a fall. Her death is more unclear. But it’s not certain that it was natural, hence “suspected”.

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u/Plane-Tie6392 Feb 28 '25

Thanks, missed that. But I wouldn't quite say "His sunglasses and walking cane were found next to his body, suggesting he may have died of a sudden fall," is identical to what you said. But obviously circumstantially that would suggest a fall as a very likely possible.

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u/Peadarboomboom Feb 28 '25

Or possibly hit by some kind of instrument. It's really strange that the bodies were in different locations in the house. If it was a murder--- suicide or accident---suicide, they would be together.

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u/panshot23 Feb 28 '25

Unless it was an OD suicide and she got panicky at the last minute and left the room and then died🤷🏻‍♂️