In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Christopher Davis, a cardiologist, shed light on the functionality of pacemakers, particularly in relation to the late Gene Hackman.
He explained that these devices, when paired with a home monitor, can remotely alert a patient's physician to any urgent events. "If there is an urgent event, that gets transmitted to the monitor and then to whatever pacemaker company's portal that then the information gets sent to the patient's physician if it's an urgent report," Davis, who is affiliated with Reveal Vitality, stated.
As reported by Fox News, the Mayo Clinic defines a pacemaker as "a small, battery-powered device that prevents the heart from beating too slowly." The device, which requires surgical implantation, is positioned under the skin near the collarbone. Dr. Davis reiterated, "If they have a home monitor, if there is an urgent event, that gets transmitted to the monitor and then to whatever pacemaker company's portal that then the information gets sent to the patient's physician if it's an urgent report."
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed during a press conference that the last event recorded on Hackman's pacemaker was on February 17. When questioned if this date, nine days prior to the discovery of Hackman's body, could be the day of his death, Mendoza responded, "According to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life." He also verified that both Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, had "tested negative for carbon monoxide."
Sheriff Mendoza stated that the cause and manner of death remain undetermined. He added that detectives would examine "cellphone data, phone calls, text messages, events, photos in the cellphone to try to piece the timeline together." He further explained, "We're doing a timeline from the time of death and the autopsy and the results. We're going to start working our way backwards. We're going to do both and then hopefully make a determination as to what may have happened to both of the individuals."
Dr. Davis further clarified that pacemaker events can vary in severity. He stated, "There's different degrees of an event. Some of these things could be a life-threatening event, and some of it could just be, say, a pacemaker battery only has a year left. So, it really varies." He added that non-emergent events would not be immediately reported to the pacemaker company but would be recorded and detected during a routine pacemaker checkup.
The Santa Fe Sheriff's Office released a search warrant inventory of the items collected from Hackman and Arakawa's home after their deaths. The list included two cellphones, MyQuest records, a 2025 planner, thyroid medication, blood pressure medication, and Tylenol.
Sheriff Mendoza and Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya provided additional information about the ongoing investigation, suggesting that Hackman and Arakawa may have been deceased "up to a couple of weeks."
Mendoza stated, "Just based on their bodies and other evidence on the body, it appears several days and possibly up to a couple weeks." When asked about the timing of the couple's deaths, Mendoza replied, "I think thats very difficult to determine. I think its going to be pretty close."
The Oscar-winning actor and his wife, a classical pianist, were found dead along with one of their dogs in their expansive Santa Fe, New Mexico, home. The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department disclosed that autopsies have been completed on both Hackman and his wife, revealing no external trauma. Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests were ordered due to the undetermined cause and manner of death.
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