A newly released 911 recording reveals the worker who discovered the bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife inside their Santa Fe home was shocked and shaken and pleaded with authorities to get there quickly.
“I think we just found two, one deceased person inside the house,” the rattled caller said on the recording obtained by TMZ. “I’m the caretaker for the subdivision.”
The man can then be heard saying, “Damn, damn, damn” while the dispatcher contacts paramedics.
A worker discovered the bodies of Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, inside their Santa Fe home. / SplashNews.comThe caller told police he saw the bodies through a window, and only described them as “a female and a male.”
He said several times he would meet police “at the gatehouse” at the gated Old Sunset Trail property and “I’ll bring them up here.”
“Are you with the patient now?” the dispatcher asked.
“Yeah, I’m over at the property. There’s no address here.”
The sheriff’s office dispatcher then asked the flustered caller a series of questions.
An aerial view of Hackman’s home in Santa Fe where he and his wife were found dead. BACKGRID
Law enforcement officials outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. AP“Are they awake?
“I have no idea,” the worker said.
“Are they breathing?”
Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa found dead in their home
- Gene Hackman’s contractor claims he raised concerns about actor, wife Betsy Arakawa days before their deaths
- Fate of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s surviving dogs revealed after tragic deaths
- Police change timeline of Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa’s death after new evidence
- Photos of Gene Hackman’s, wife’s bodies will not be made public, New Mexico judge rules
“I have no idea, I’m not inside the house. It’s closed. It’s locked, I can’t go in. But I see, she’s lying down….”
“Are they moving at all?” the dispatcher asked.
The worker who called 911 after finding the bodies begged police to send somebody to the scene quickly. AP Photo/Roberto Rosales
Hackman and Arakawa may have been dead for several days, according to court documents. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images“No, they’re not moving,” the caller said. “Just send somebody out here really quick!”
Hackman, 95, and his 65-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist, were found Wednesday afternoon by two maintenance workers and may have been dead for days, according to court documents.
Arakawa had “obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,” according to an affidavit.
Their deaths remain under investigation.
