Ex-FBI Agent Shares Theory On Gene Hackman’s Eerie Death After Latest Revelations

An intriguing new theory into the unexplained death of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman has been laid out by a former member of the FBI who posited that Hackman and his wife may have died in a preventable tragedy.

So far, investigators say they have ruled out a gas leak which may have slowly filled Hackman’s Santa Fe, New Mexico home with carbon monoxide. It was at first the likeliest explanation for why the 95-year-old actor was found dead on the floor of his mudroom next to his walking cane, as if he had just come in from the outdoors and been overcome by something in the air.

Not far away, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found splayed on the floor of their bathroom, surrounded by scattered prescription pills.

Neither of their deaths appears to be a pre-motivated suicide effort, local authorities say.

Bill Daly, a retired FBI agent who spent a decade with the FBI in the 1970s and 80s, said on Monday that he believes investigators are not pursuing a perfectly reasonable cause of death: food poisoning.

“Toxicology – there could have been some other type of poisoning, possibly food? They’ll go through their trash, fridge … this is stuff the police can do in the meantime while gathering evidence,” Daly told Fox News. “There are a number of possibilities.”

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has said there is no evidence of foul play in the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa, nor was there any sign of external trauma to their bodies. The couple were discovered by a housekeeper more than a week after dying, a time when the cool winter air kept their mummified remains intact, according to a 911 call.

Two of Hackman’s three dogs were found roaming the property while a third, their German Shepherd, lay dead beside them.

A review of data from Hackman’s pacemaker found his last heartbeat was on February 17th, nine days before he was discovered.

“An initial interrogation was conducted of Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker. This revealed that his last event was recorded on Feb. 17, 2025,” Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said in a press conference on Friday.

Despite another witness reporting that the Hackman household’s door was “ajar” upon discovery, Mendoza maintained he had no evidence to suggest foul play or a forced intrusion.

“I think I’m pretty confident that there is no foul play just based on the lack of evidence,” Mendoza said, the Daily Mail reported. “But, of course, we’re not ruling that out.”

Food poisoning is rarely lethal, though given the advanced ages of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, they may have been at greater risk. The two met in California while Arakawa was working part-time at a gym. She was a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii.

Hackman spent more than five decades in Hollywood in front of the camera. During that time, he was nominated for an Oscar five times, winning twice for 1972’s “The French Connection” and two decades later for 1992’s Clint Eastwood film “Unforgiven.”