Authorities want to take a closer look at the sudden deaths of acting legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
Though the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office told NBC News “foul play is not suspected a factor” immediately following the couple’s deaths, authorities have since declared, according to in an affidavit obtained by the outlet, the circumstances to be “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
The affidavit, which was submitted to obtain a search warrant, details what authorities observed after initially being called to Hackman and Arakawa’s home for a welfare check on Feb. 26.
According to Deputy Joshua Thomas, Arakawa—whom Hackman wed in 1991—was found deceased in a bathroom directly off the front entrance to the home. Thomas said he found the 64-year-old “laying on the ground near the countertop,” with a space heater “near” her head.
“He advised he also observed an orange prescription bottle on the counter-top near the deceased female,” the affidavit read. “The prescription bottle appeared opened with pills scattered on the counter-top.”
