Gene Hackman's wife body found mummified, bloated: Cops reveal chilling details

Gene Hackman wife’s body showed signs of mummification and bloating when the couple was discovered dead along their dog in their multimillion-dollar New Mexico home. Police said the maintenance workers, who first noticed the unusually quiet house, said they hadn’t seen the couple for about two weeks.

The sheriff's office in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said on Thursday that Hackman, the intense character actor who won two Oscars in a more than 60-year career, and wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa died of unknown causes at home.

“Hackman and Arakawa had been deceased for quite a while”- though the sheriff could not say how long. He said they were still trying to determine the last time anybody had contact with the couple.

Gene Hackman's death: Police probe reveals horric details

Police said that deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”.

Cops revealed that when they reached the couple’s home it was found “unsecured and open,” with an orange prescription pill bottle left open and pills scattered across the room where Arakawa's body was found

They said, reported by New York Post, Arakawa had “obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet” when she was found.

Officials also stated in the report that a black space heater was located near Arakawa’s head. A responding officer said “he suspected the heater could have fallen in the event the female abruptly fell to the ground,” the affidavit said.

Deputies found the couple’s deceased dog in the bathroom closet, about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa. Meanwhile, Hackman’s body was discovered in the mudroom near a pair of sunglasses. The report noted that he appeared to have “suddenly fallen.”

Hackman, a former Marine known for his raspy voice, appeared in more than 80 films, as well as on television and the stage during a lengthy career that started in the early 1960s.

He earned his first Oscar nomination for his breakout role as the brother of bank robber Clyde Barrow in 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde." He was also nominated for best supporting actor in 1971 for "I Never Sang for My Father."