According to a search warrant issued by the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department, Arakawa's body was found with signs of "mummification" and "bloating," indicating to officials that she had been dead for some time before she and Hackman were discovered.

Officials deemed the deaths of the Hollywood legend and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, “suspicious enough” to warrant a full investigation.

A Santa Fe man has been convicted of his wife’s death in 2023 at a Clovis gas station. In January of that year, Lloyd Edwards called 911 to report his wife was bleeding and had been stabbed in the neck.