The circumstances around the death of Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Gene Hackman, could have lent itself to mummification, according to a forensic pathologist.
Arakawa was found dead in the couple’s Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on Wednesday, February 26. Her body was “in a state of decomposition” that included bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet, TMZ reported.
Police also found Hackman’s body and the body of one of their dogs in the home, and authorities have not determined when they died. The cause of death is also unknown and the investigation is ongoing. Arakawa was 64 and Hackman was 95.
“Mummification can happen anywhere from days to weeks [after death], given the right conditions, all the way through months,” the pathologist, who is not involved with Hackman and Arakawa’s case, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, February 27. “There’s certain circumstances that favor a body going into a mummification type stage as opposed to decomposition.”
While the word “mummification” usually brings to mind the ancient Egyptians’ process of deliberately embalming and drying bodies, the natural process is much different. The pathologist explained that a body going through mummification is going to look much thinner, compared to a bloated body that is decomposing. It will also be significantly drier with the skin looking like “a dry leather.”
“The factors that lead to mummification over something that more resembles a natural decomposition process with bloating and things of that nature, really favors dry conditions,” the doctor continued. “It can happen indoors as well. It really depends on a number of factors … but basically you want a sealed environment that has a high amount of heat in it.”
Arakawa was found in her bathroom next to a space heater that police say may have fallen when she collapsed.
Related: Who Was Betsy Arakawa? What to Know About Gene Hackman’s Wife
Betsy Arakawa may have been in a three-decade relationship with famous, Oscar-winning husband Gene Hackman, but her life was largely out of the spotlight. The couple met while she was working part-time in a California fitness center, per The New York Times. After living together for several years, Arakawa and Hackman tied the knot in […]
Though Arakawa was also found with an open prescription bottle on her countertop with pills scattered around it, prescription medication would not likely aid in the process. Other conditions that could factor into whether a body decomposes or mummifies include the dryness of the air and the clothes the individual is wearing. Police have not revealed whether the space heater found near Arakawa was turned on or what she was wearing when she died.
As the investigation into her and Hackman’s deaths continues, their family is waiting for answers.
“I think I’m very anxious to find out what happened and I just don’t know how long they had been deceased,” Leslie Hackman, Gene’s daughter and Arakawa’s stepdaughter, exclusively told Us on Thursday. “[The authorities] don’t know yet either.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin
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