The actor Gene Hackman most likely died nine days before his and his wife’s bodies were found in their secluded home near Santa Fe, N.M., the authorities said on Friday, as the central question of how they died remained unanswered.
By examining Mr. Hackman’s pacemaker, a pathologist determined that the device’s last recorded “event” was on Feb. 17, indicating that Mr. Hackman died then, Sheriff Adan Mendoza of Santa Fe County said in a news conference.
Mr. Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead on Wednesday, in separate rooms of their home in a gated community. Since then, the mystery of what caused the deaths of the reclusive couple has consumed Hollywood, the cultural hub of Santa Fe and film lovers across the globe.
Sheriff Mendoza said on Friday that it was unlikely that the couple had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, given that both of their bodies tested negative for traces of the gas.
When investigators combed through the home in the mountains outside Santa Fe, they discovered common medication, medical records, two cellphones and a 2025 planner, according to an inventory of what the police collected.
“We’ll be analyzing cellphone data — phone calls, text messages, events, photos in the cellphone — to try to piece a timeline together,” Sheriff Mendoza said.
Mr. Hackman and Ms. Arakawa did not have any surveillance cameras inside or outside their home, the sheriff said.
In part because of their penchant for privacy, it has been difficult for investigators to quickly determine the events leading up to their deaths. The sheriff said detectives were trying to figure out who last had contact with the couple, and when.
Initial findings did not show any signs of external trauma, and there were no indications of “foul play,” Sheriff Mendoza said.
On Friday, a small group of reporters gathered near the couple’s gated community, Santa Fe Summit, which is just beyond the city limits. A security guard sat at the entrance along a winding road with views of the mountains.
Several of the homes in the neighborhood have gates and security cameras. There was no activity at Mr. Hackman’s home at the end of a cul-de-sac on Friday, and the neighborhood seemed almost empty, apart from workers who were maintaining properties.
Sheriff Mendoza said it could take three months or longer to get toxicology results, which will be a key part of determining how the couple died.
The medication that the police recovered from the home included thyroid medication, Tylenol and diltiazem, a drug often used to treat high blood pressure or chest pain. Some pills were scattered on a countertop near Ms. Arakawa’s body, but the police have not identified them.
Mr. Hackman’s body was found on Wednesday in the mudroom of his home, and the body of Ms. Arakawa was found near an open prescription bottle and the scattered pills in a bathroom. One of the couple’s dogs, a German shepherd, was discovered dead in a nearby closet. Two other dogs were found alive on the property; it is unclear where the surviving dogs are currently being kept, but the sheriff said the county’s animal control division worked with the family to ensure the dogs’ safety.
The drugs that were found at the house are used to treat common ailments. Diltiazem is a calcium channel blocker, which lowers blood pressure and can help with abnormal heart rhythms. Thyroid medicine is used to treat low levels of thyroid hormone, a condition that can cause exhaustion, weight gain and depression, among other symptoms.
Dr. Garret FitzGerald, the director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania, said all of these drugs had the potential to be fatal in large doses.
In very high doses, Tylenol can cause liver failure, thyroid pills can cause arrhythmia and calcium channel blockers can cause cardiogenic shock. But, Dr. FitzGerald added, “all of these would be very rare causes of death and would require very high doses and likely some prior susceptibility of the individual.”
Chief Brian Moya of the Santa Fe Fire Department said in an interview that a door in the back of the home had been cracked open, possibly to let the dogs go in and out. He said the Fire Department had tested the home and found no indications of carbon monoxide or a gas leak.
He said that his department, which includes emergency medical services, had not responded to the couple’s property for at least three years, since he took over as chief. He added that he was not aware of any calls for help before that, either.
“They were very private people,” Chief Moya said.
Once active members of the Santa Fe community, Mr. Hackman and Ms. Arakawa had grown more reclusive in recent years, friends said.
On Wednesday afternoon, a maintenance worker arrived to the couple’s house and grew concerned after he received no answer, Sheriff Mendoza said. The worker contacted a neighborhood security guard who called 911 after seeing the bodies of Mr. Hackman and Ms. Arakawa through a window, the sheriff said.
The maintenance worker told law enforcement that he had last had contact with the couple about two weeks prior, according to an affidavit.
One of Mr. Hackman’s daughters from his first marriage, Leslie Anne Hackman, said in an interview with The Daily Mail that she hadn’t spoken to her father in several months. She described him as being in “good health” for 95, noting that he still did Pilates and yoga.
On Jan. 31, a day after Mr. Hackman’s birthday, Ms. Arakawa emailed a friend, Lesley Allin, to thank her and her husband for their birthday wishes and for the desserts they had sent to the New Mexico home.
“Time just flies,” Ms. Arakawa wrote in the email, “so we all have to have fun while we can.”
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