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

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 ne...