Dogs Found Alive in Gene Hackman's Home are Safe, Sheriff Confirms

Dogs Found Alive in Gene Hackman's Home are Safe Following Actor and Wife's Death, Sheriff Confirms

The Santa Fe County Sheriff confirmed the two dogs are alive and safe following the deaths of Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa

Charna Flam

Published on February 28, 2025 10:22PM EST

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Gene Hackman during Runaway Jury Press Conference with Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, John Cusack and Rachel Weisz at the Wyndham Hotel in New Orleans, LA — Gene Hackman in New Orleans, LA. Photo:
Vera Anderson/WireImage

The two dogs that were found alive at the home of Gene Hackman in Santa Fe, N.M., are now safe, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff news release.

Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and a third dog were found dead on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Hackman was 95 and Arakawa was 65. Authorities found the two other dogs alive and "healthy" during their search of the property.

"The Santa Fe County Animal Control Division worked with family to ensure the safety of the two dogs," the Santa Fe County Sheriff's statement read.

Hackman was found dead in a mudroom, according to the search warrant affidavit filed Wednesday and reviewed by PEOPLE. Arakawa was found dead in a bathroom with a fallen space heater and pills scattered about.

"A deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom" was also found per the affidavit. The deputies then “observed a healthy dog running loose on the property" and "another healthy dog near the deceased female,” according to the affidavit.

"It's not normal to find two people deceased in the residence. That's concerning. And then there was also a dog that was in a kennel that was also found deceased," Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters during a press conference.

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa.
DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The pills were identified on Friday, Feb. 28, as an unspecified thyroid medication, Tylenol, and high blood pressure medication, diltiazem.

Hackman's body had been in their home for nine days before discovery, Sheriff Adan Mendoza said during a press conference on Friday, Feb. 28. Mendoza told reporters that Hackman's pacemaker stopped working on Feb. 17.

Actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa pose for a portrait in 1986 in Los Angeles — Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa in 1986 in Los Angeles, California.
Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

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Sheriffs also announced Friday that both Hackman and Arakawa's bodies tested negative for carbon monoxide, ruling out poisoning from the gas. The couple's death remains under investigation.

A Santa Fe County Animal Control Division representative did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Friday.