Investigators are zeroing in on new evidence in the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
Specifically, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza cited an open prescription pill bottle found near Arakawa’s body, first mentioned in an affidavit for a search warrant obtained by NBC News Feb. 27, as a crucial detail authorities are taking a close look at as they continue to determine the couple and their dog’s sudden death.
“That’s obviously very important evidence at the scene,” Mendoza told Savannah Guthrie on the Feb. 28 episode of Today. “That information was collected, that information was passed to the office of the medical investigator to help them make a determination. So we’re looking at that specifically and other medications that were possibly in the residence. So that is something of concern.”
The sheriff—who is leading the investigation into the deaths of the longtime couple—added that a toxicology report “could take up to three months or even possibly longer.”
“It just depends how busy the laboratory is,” Mendoza explained. “But we’re hoping it comes sooner than later so we can answer some of these questions and hopefully it’ll help us in our investigation to help determine the matter and cause of death.”
