Gene Hackman's home had no 'significant' gas, carbon monoxide leaks: Gas company

As questions remain surrounding the death of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, authorities released a new update from the New Mexico Gas Company on March 4. The statement further eliminates the likelihood that the couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The New Mexico Gas Company (NMGC) conducted "an extensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide" at the couple's home on Feb. 26, the day the 95-year-old actor and his wife, 64, were found dead. According to Tuesday's press release from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, "there were no significant findings."

"NMGC did issue five red tags. One red tag was for a minuscule leak (0.33% gas in air — not a lethal amount) at one of the stove burners. The other four red tags were for code enforcement violations — not involving gas leaks or carbon monoxide — involving a water heater and gas log lighters installed in three fireplaces," the statement concluded.

On Friday, investigators announced that both Hackman and Arakawa had tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning. Both showed no signs of external trauma. Police are awaiting the results of a toxicology report that will help determine the cause and manner of the deaths.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said a full autopsy report will "be key to this investigation." The last day of Hackman's life was probably Feb. 17, when his pacemaker recorded his "last event."

One of Hackman and Arakawa's three dogs was found dead near her body. There has been some confusion over which dog died, as police initially said it was the pair's German shepherd. However, that dog is alive and well with a family friend. A mixed-breed dog named Zinna was found deceased.

Joey Padilla, a dog day care owner who worked with the couple's dogs for a decade, spoke to Fox News Digital about how protective Arakawa was of her husband and their pets.

"You know, after COVID, she was very particular about bringing people around Gene. So, she was super protective," Padilla said. He added that Arakawa and Zinna were "attached to the hip."

"It's hard to explain and encompass how much these dogs meant to these people," he said.

Padilla told the outlet that it had been at least a month since he last saw Arakawa.

Friends of the pair have given various interviews to media outlets that paint a similar picture of the reclusive life of Hackman and Arakawa in recent years.

A Santa Fe couple, Barbara Lenihan, 75, and her husband, Daniel Lenihan, were longtime friends of the couple. They told the New York Post the pair had increasingly "become insular."

"We used to spend a lot of time at their house but it'd been a while since they were comfortable having others over," she said. "They were a little insular and that was fine, it just got tougher for them to have people over."

Daniel said it had been "years" since he saw Hackman in person. Barbara saw Arakawa earlier this year and told the outlet they had corresponded via email in recent weeks.

Hackman's friends and his children have publicly offered different perspectives on his health before his death.

Leslie Ann Hackman, one of his three kids from a prior marriage, told the Daily Mail "there was no indication that there was any problem" with his health.

"Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition," she said, but admitted she had not spoken with him in the months before his death.