Gene Hackman and wife found dead in their home

Della said:
If your husband collapsed wouldn't you call 911 before going to your bathroom to take your thyroid medicine? If you were planning to kill yourself wouldn't you provide for your dogs first?
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Exactly my thought... by all indications they were close. Even if he collapsed/died and she became distraught, she would FIRST have him taken care of before harming herself... but I don't buy into that theory on any level.
 

NotCompSavy said:
I'm in a gated community and the people in these communities are no different better / worse then those out of them .

Granted I'm in an average not millionaire community but you know what I mean and add that on foot you can get into any community not by vehicle if human security at entrance .
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Why didn’t they have any security cameras on the property? …that surprises me.
Living on an isolated mountain area, I would.

They lived on 12 acres of wooded terrain. It was stated somewhere that at night it is pitch black in that area.
 
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JustBonee said:
Why didn’t they have any security cameras on the property? …that surprises me.
Living on an isolated mountain area, I would.

They lived on 12 areas of wooded terrain. It was stated somewhere that at night it is pitch black in that area.
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I believe they lived in a gated community in spite of it being remote. Maybe they felt they didn't need security cameras living in a gated community and having 3 German Shepherds. From all accounts everyone thought highly of them and they probably didn't fear for their lives.
 

Hackman having heart failure then collapsing makes sense due to his age and pacemaker. It's also possible that his wife heard him, and while rushing to get pills for him she may have fallen and hit her head. That's plausible. But the dog in a crate in the closet is a mystery to me. That seems to indicate some type of premeditation.
 
ChiroDoc said:
Hackman having heart failure then collapsing makes sense due to his age and pacemaker. It's also possible that his wife heard him, and while rushing to get pills for him she may have fallen and hit her head. That's plausible. But the dog in a crate in the closet is a mystery to me. That seems to indicate some type of premeditation.
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The autopsy showed no bruises or contusions on the bodies.
 
I have a feeling the dog was put into the crate because it was a difficult dog to handle at times. I understand why many people use crates to train their dogs and to discipline them. I also know dogs that have been crate trained will go to their crates willingly to feel safe when they are scared.

I understand but I don't like it and could never do it myself.

Anyway, I suspect Betsy was getting too old to handle 3 German Shepherds mostly by herself and maybe the reason why the 1 dog was in the crate.

What makes me sad is Gene and Betsy had the money to have a large, outdoor enclosed kennel to put the dogs when they got to be too much inside the house instead of a crate inside the bathroom closet:(
 
I just read this morning that his pacemaker was examined and it had stopped 9 days before they were discovered. That’s a pretty accurate time of death. And the mummification of her hands (both their hands?) was entirely possible over that 9 day period given the arid, dry climate and a space heater that was running.
 
Trish said:
Maybe the dog being left in a crate is indicative of an accident rather than intentional? Gene and Betsy were said to be very caring dog owners so, it seems unlikely that the dog would have been locked in if whoever survived intended to overdose.
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That's my thinking as well. The dog being in the crate isn't a big mystery, lots of people crate their dogs. Also dogs learn their crate is a safe place, and some dogs can even pull the door closed and the latch can fall in place. It's even possible the dog went into It's crate and one of the other dogs accidently pushed the door closed locking the dog in.

It's all a mystery now, hopefully the investigation will provide answers.
 
Gene was old, but accomplished a lot in his life. It was time to face the inevitable. It's too bad that it ended in a media circus, rather than a celebration of a life. His wife was too young, but she's at peace now. And the dog's life was cut short for a reason neither he nor we can understand.
 
Anyone that I can think of that reached age 95, was in a nursing home, or at least surrounded with ‘help’ for daily living.
Betsy was 30 years younger, but maybe would have enjoyed someone to help cook and clean that huge home. ?? . and take care of 3 large dogs. …that’s a lot!

Contact with their family wasn’t very constant either. Just strange.
 
ChiroDoc said:
Hackman having heart failure then collapsing makes sense due to his age and pacemaker. It's also possible that his wife heard him, and while rushing to get pills for him she may have fallen and hit her head. That's plausible. But the dog in a crate in the closet is a mystery to me. That seems to indicate some type of premeditation.
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I am not so sure about the 'Dog" thing. Seems to me that if I was having heart pain, I might put my dog in his kennel right away to keep him out of the way, especially if I knew he gets real upset and troublesome when I have these problems... Just a thought...
 
PeppermintPatty said:
It’s a very sad story, hopefully others can shed some more light on it.

i agree that dogs don’t usually take pills. You have to hide pills in pieces of cheese etc., to get them to eat them. If the dog was stuck in a crate, what a slow agonizing death that must have been. Maybe it was in a crate, in the closet. If it wasn’t stuck in there, then it could have lived like the other 2 dogs.
It is a very sad story. Some things we’ll be haunted about.
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I am always so sad to read stories like this. Bad enough that the bodies were not found for a number of days, which is my nightmare, but the dog starved to death :cry:
 
RobinWren said:
I am always so sad to read stories like this. Bad enough that the bodies were not found for a number of days, which is my nightmare, but the dog starved to death :cry:
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Stories like this haunt me also. Gene was 95. If he pace maker stopped working, then he likely died quick. We don’t know how his wife died but we all DO know that their dog died from lack of water and food. It’s literally haunting, I agree.
 
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We now know that his wife died a week before him and that she had picked up the dog from the vet prior to her passing, so that is why the dog was in a crate, probably recovering. Regardless of them having so much money it was for naught, no one was even looking in on them. Imagine, such a marvellous actor in his day having alzheimer's , living in a home with his dead wife and dog and not even realizing it, how so very sad is that. A very sad ending for all concerned and two dogs left to grieve not understanding what just happened.
 
I think he was estranged from his children. Yes, I was surprised as well that they had no household help. Was she really sick or just got sick very quickly, 48 hours comes to mind, from the rodent droppings. Now they are free may they rest in peace🙏
 
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