Santa Fe (New Mexico, USA), March 1 (LaPresse) – An examination of the pacemaker of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman showed that it stopped working on February 17, which means he could have passed away nine days before his body and that of his wife, Bets Arakawa, were found. This was reported by Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. Hackman’s body was found in an entryway, while his wife’s body was found in a bathroom. She was lying on her side, and there was a space heater near her head. Preliminary autopsy results have not determined how Hackman and his wife died, but they have ruled out death by carbon monoxide poisoning.
The condition of the bodies, found Wednesday, suggests that the deaths occurred at least several days before, and there were no signs of foul play. Investigators said the space heater was likely pulled down when it fell. An open bottle of medication and scattered pills were also found on a countertop. Whether the pills or other drugs played a role will not be known until toxicology tests are completed in the coming weeks. Dr. Philip Keen, a retired medical examiner from Maricopa County, Arizona, stated that it is unlikely that someone who initially tests negative for carbon monoxide poisoning would later be found to have been poisoned by it. He also mentioned that when a pacemaker stops working, it could mark the point of death, though not always.
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