HEARTBREAKING audio has revealed the tragic moment a caretaker found Gene Hackman and his wife dead on Wednesday afternoon.

The 911 caller is heard crying “they’re not moving!” as he peered through a window and saw Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 63, unresponsive on the floor of their home.

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Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman at the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills in January 2003Credit: Getty

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Hackman and Arakawa leaving a seafood restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in March 2024Credit: Splash

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Hackman and Arakawa in Los Angeles in November 2001Credit: Getty
The caller identified himself as a neighborhood caretaker and said, “We just found two, or one person, deceased inside a house.”

He then appears to start sobbing and is heard saying “damn” as he tells 911 he’s standing outside the couple’s Santa Fe mansion.

“Can you send somebody up here really quick?” he begged in the audio obtained by The U.S. Sun.

He was asked how old the victims were and whether they were awake.

It comes as…

The star was found dead alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and their pet dog at their home in Santa Fe
Gene was last spotted with his wife in 2024 weeks after his 94th birthday
Cops have not revealed the acting legend’s cause of death but say there are no signs of foul play
An “active investigation” is underway after eerie clues were found at the scene
Tributes to Gene and Betsy poured in from fellow Hollywood actors and stars
Gene made a haunting comment on his “fear” of death
The actor’s pal revealed how he went from the least likely to succeed at school to a two-time Oscar winner
Gene had a “difficult” relationship with his kids and lost touch with his son
The police statement has been released in full
How Gene met his second wife, who he was married to for 34 years, at the gym

“I have no idea,” he sobbed. “I’m not inside the house. It’s closed.

“It’s locked. I can’t go in. But I see the lady – she’s laying down on the floor – from the window.”

The caller was then asked if the couple was alert or moving and he appeared to get even more frustrated and emotional.

“No. They’re not moving. Just send somebody out here really quick!” he urged.
Gene Hackman dead at 95: Legendary The French Connection actor and two-time Acadamy Award winner dies
Chillingly, a dog can be heard barking in the background of the 911 audio as the man begs for help for the couple, whose bodies were found along with their beloved pet dog.

It’s unclear if the caller knew Hackman, an iconic actor, and Arakawa, a classical pianist.

When cops got there, the front door of the New Mexico home was open, but there wasn’t any sign of a break-in.

It’s believed the couple may have been dead for days due to signs of “mummification.”

HAUNTING SCENE

Hackman was found inside the couple’s mudroom near his cane, leading cops to believe he fell at some point.

Arakawa’s body was discovered in a bathroom near a space heater.

Investigators noted “body decomposition” and “bloating in her face,” signaling mummification of her hands and feet had begun

“I have no idea. I’m not inside the house. It’s closed, it’s locked. I can’t go in. But I see the lady, she’s laying down on the floor, from the window.”

911 caller
An open prescription bottle was found nearby, with pills scattered on a countertop.

The couple’s dead dog was lying about 15 feet from Arakawa in a bathroom closet.

Two other dogs were found alive near Arakawa and outside, cops said.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza isn’t ruling out foul play at this stage in the investigation but there were no obvious signs of it.

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Cops outside Hackman and Arakawa’s house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 27, 2025Credit: AP

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Hackman’s mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the couple was found deadCredit: BackGrid
Deputies do find the deaths suspicious so they got a warrant to search the home.

The Santa Fe City Fire Department and the New Mexico Gas Co. were called to the scene but they didn’t find evidence of a carbon monoxide leak or poisoning.

Gene moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the 1980s and has lived there ever since.

He was the father of three daughters, Elizabeth, Leslie, and Annie Hackman, from his first marriage.

FAMILY SPEAKS

Leslie Hackman shared fears that her father and stepmother may have died from a carbon monoxide leak.

She said there weren’t any signs that her dad was struggling before his death.

“Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition,” she told DailyMail.

“He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.”

The family previously released a statement confirming his death.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” his daughters wrote.

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa.

“We will miss him sorely.”

Hackman and Arakawa didn’t have any kids together after getting married in 1991.

They lived a quiet life together inside their $3.8 million desert getaway home after Hackman retired in the early 2000s.

They had three German Shepherds and were spotted in public for the first time in years last year.

The pair was pictured leaving Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in March 2024.

Hackman walked with a cane at the time and held onto his wife’s arm.

Gene Hackman’s family’s full statement

Gene Hackman’s family has spoken out on the actor’s death after he was found dead with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in their Santa Fe home.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth, Leslie, and Annie Hackman said in a statement.

“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa.

“We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”

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Hackman and Arakawa in Los Angeles in 1986Credit: Getty