Gene Hackman and his wife tested negative for carbon monoxide, sheriff says

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Preliminary autopsy results didn’t determine how Oscar-winner Gene Hackman and his wife died at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but did rule out that they were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, the sheriff leading the investigation said Friday.

The condition of the bodies found Wednesday indicated the deaths occurred at least several days earlier and there was no sign of foul play.

At a news conference, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the initial examination by the medical examiner showed no sign of carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas produced from kitchen appliances and other fuel-burning items. When it collects in poorly ventilated homes, it can be fatal.

Mendoza also said an examination of the 95-year-old Hackman’s pacemaker showed it stopped working on Feb. 17, which means he may have died nine days earlier.

Hackman was found in an entryway. His wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, was found in a bathroom on her side. A space heater was near her head, and pills were scattered next to an open prescription bottle on the counter. Investigators said the heater likely was pulled down when she fell.

Whether the pills or other drugs were a factor won’t be known until toxicology tests are completed in the coming weeks.

Carbon monoxide can be ruled out since it can dissipate from the environment but not from a body, renowned medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden said.

Examiners will look to test blood and urine, if available, but also could turn to an oily fluid that typically accumulates in lung and abdominal cavities, and samples of muscle and brain, to help determine the causes of death.

Dr. Philip Keen, the retired chief medical examiner in Maricopa County, Arizona, said the moment when a pacemaker stops working could mark the point when a person dies, but not always.

“If your heart required a pacemaker, there would certainly be an interruption at that point — and it might be the hallmark of when the death occurred,” Keen said. “But it’s not necessarily because some people get a pacemaker to augment things, not necessarily replace things.”

The initial autopsy also found no external trauma to either body. Dr. Victor Weedn, forensic pathologist, said there are plenty of reasons a body could be found on the ground without any sort of bumps or bruises, including if they simply lay down due to feeling unwell.

Investigators planned to comb through the couple’s phones and monthly planners and reach out to family members, neighbors and workers from the gated community to figure out the last time anyone saw or spoke to Hackman or Arakawa.

The couple was a “very private family,” Mendoza said, making it challenging to piece together a timeline.

Authorities do not believe the home had any surveillance cameras, he said.

Investigators who searched the home retrieved medication that treats high blood pressure and chest pain, thyroid medication, Tylenol, and records from medical diagnostics testing, court records filed Friday showed.

Detectives wrote in a search warrant affidavit that investigators thought the deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”

No gas leaks were discovered in or around the home.

A maintenance worker who showed up to do routine work at the house could not get inside and called a security worker who spotted two people on the ground, Mendoza said.

The worker called 911 and told an operator he did not know if they were breathing.

He and another worker later told authorities that they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks ago.

Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for “The French Connection” in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for “Unforgiven” two decades later. He also won praise for his role as a coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite “Hoosiers.”

He met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist, at a California gym in the mid-1980s. They moved to Santa Fe by the end of the decade. Their Pueblo revival home sits on a hill with views of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

In his first couple of decades in New Mexico, Hackman was often seen around the state capital and served on the board of trustees for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum from 1997 to 2004.

Aside from appearances at awards shows, Hackman was rarely seen in the Hollywood social circuit in recent years.

Hackman had three children from a previous marriage. He and Arakawa had no children but were known for having German shepherds.

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio and Billeaud reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Hallie Golden in Seattle and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed.

Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya answers questions about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa during a news conference in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza answers questions about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa during a news conference in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, right, and Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya answer questions about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa during a news conference in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza answers questions about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa during a news conference in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza answers questions about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa during a news conference in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)

The house owned by actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa stands Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)

Santa Fe County deputies remain outside the house belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were earlier found dead, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)

Santa Fe County deputies remain outside the house belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were earlier found dead, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)

FILE - Gene Hackman accepts his Oscar for best actor at the 44th Academy Awards in Los Angeles on April 10, 1972. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman discusses the effect of an Academy Award nomination on his career, March 24, 1972. (AP Photo/George Brich, File)

FILE - Gene Hackman holds his Cecil B. DeMille award at the 60th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

FILE - "The Royal Tenenbaums" cast member Gene Hackman poses at the premiere of the film in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Dec. 6, 2001. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FILE - This Jan. 19, 2003 file photo shows actor Gene Hackman at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman with wife Betsy Arakawa in June 1993. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Actors Christopher Reeve, left, and co-star Gene Hackman arrive at the premiere of the movie "Superman" in Los Angeles, Ca., on Dec. 15, 1978. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

FILE - Liza Minnelli and Gene Hackman dance at the University Club, Wednesday, June 26, 1975, in Mexico City, where they are filming the movie "Lucky Lady." (AP Photo/Hem, File)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman reacts during an interview on March 24, 1972. (AP Photo/George Brich, File)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman waves as he starts out for a practice run in his Toyota Celica, Feb. 5, 1983 at the Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the Daytona 24 Hour Endurac Race. This race marks the start of Hickman?s career as a professional driver. (AP Photo/Bob Self, File)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman gives fictional Hickory High basketball players instructions during filming of the final game of the movie "Hoosiers" at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus, Friday, Dec. 6, 1985 in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Strickland, File)

Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in the home a day earlier. (AP Photo/Roberto Rosales)

The entrance to the gated community where actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were found dead in their home is shown Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto Rosales)

Santa Fe County Sheriff deputies arrive at the Santa Fe Summit gated community where actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa passed away were earlier found dead, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, N.M. (AP Photo/Roberto E. Rosales)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.

Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”

Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)