Exclusive | Inside Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawas final days before couple mysteriously found dead in New Mexico home: Got tougher for them
As cops scramble to piece together what caused the tragic deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, friends of the couple lament how they had become increasingly insular in their final years and even stopped receiving guests.Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead alongside one of their dogs in their sprawling $3.8m home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Feb.26. The Hollywood couple are believed to have been laying dead for up to two weeks before maintenance workers stumbled across the scene and called emergency services.
The 911 caller and another worker later told authorities they rarely saw the homeowners. No red flags had been raised by family or friends in the time between the pair dying and their bodies being found, but it was common for the couple to fly under the radar for long periods, according to longtime close friends Barbara Lenihan, 75, of Santa Fe and her husband, author Daniel Lenihan, 79.Daniel told The Post it had been “years” since he last saw Hackman, his friend of more than 30 years, in person.Barbara, who also owned a home decor store with Arakawa, said she last saw Hackman about a year ago.She last spent time with Arakawa in person sometime earlier this year and had exchanged emails with her in recent weeks.
According to her, the pair had increasingly “become insular” in recent years.“People loved to be around them,” she said.“We used to spend a lot of time at their house but it’d been a while since they were comfortable having others over.“They were a little insular and that was fine, it just got tougher for them to have people over. “We’re all deeply saddened. We’re all just in shock and can’t believe [that they are dead],” she added.Almost one week on, it is still not known what caused the Oscar winner and his wife’s mysterious deaths.Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said it had so far proven to be a “challenge” to determine the events that lead up to the pair’s final moments as they...