A fire chief involved in the Gene Hackman case has revealed gruesome details about the mummification process.
Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya has disclosed harrowing details surrounding the mummification of both Hackman and his wife Betsy after their death.
Speaking on the matter, he couldn't specify who died first, pointing out that it's a question for the Sheriff's office to answer.
However, speaking more broadly about the mummification process, Moya revealed: "If somebody was down for a long time their hands could be blackened and stuff to that nature. They could have no eyes. The eyes could have been gone by that time."
He continued: "My indication is that we don't know how long they were down. My team's main focus was to find out if they were deceased."
It's been previously reported how Betsy "showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet." Hackman was found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife.
This information emerges as police confirmed their intention to interview Hackman's children in an endeavour to reconstruct the couple's last actions before their death.
The celebrated actor leaves behind three offspring from his marriage to Faye Maltese: Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie, reports the Mirror.
Police remain active in their conversations with "family members" in an effort to understand the final days of Gene and Betsy's lives.
The couple were discovered each in separate rooms at their residence in New Mexico earlier this week.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza has said that establishing the last contacts of a deceased couple has been a "challenge".
Daughter Leslie, aged 58, mentioned her lack of recent contact with her father, saying: "We were close. I hadn't talked to them for a couple of months, but everything was normal and everything was good."
Meanwhile, Elizabeth Jean, 62, had previously suggested toxic fumes might have caused her parents' deaths, a theory dismissed following a postmortem. Authorities are now focusing on two mobile phones found at the scene, which they hope will unlock further clues after forensic analysis.
During a press briefing on Friday, it was revealed that Hackman likely passed away around nine days prior to being found by officials. Sheriff Mendoza confirmed the last recorded event on Hackman's pacemaker was February 17, hinting that it could be the probable date of death.
"According to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption that that was his last day of life," Mendoza stated. It remains unclear whether Hackman or his wife passed away first.
Both were discovered in a "mummified" state, along with their deceased dog in the bathroom closet. The couple were last seen together in public on March 28, 2024, with Hackman pictured supporting himself with a walking cane and holding onto his wife's arm.
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English (United States) ·