(CNN) 鈥 Questions still outweigh answers more than a week after beloved actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their secluded, mountaintop home just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Investigators have yet to say how the couple died, how long their bodies had been in the home, or even whether the husband and wife 鈥 found in separate rooms with no outward signs of injury 鈥 died at the same time.
But more insight may come Friday afternoon as the Santa Fe County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, alongside state medical examiners, plan to hold a news conference to provide updates in the case.
A slow drip of information has emerged from the sheriff鈥檚 office after the bodies were found on February 26, but investigators have become tight-lipped in recent days. Law enforcement stopped responding to CNN鈥檚 requests for information on Wednesday.
Santa Fe investigators are all too familiar with the intense pressure to deliver answers in the highly scrutinized celebrity case, which has drawn fervent national attention. The sheriff鈥檚 office fielded an army of media and amateur sleuths and commentators when they handled the investigation into the fatal shooting of a cast member on the set of in 2021.
In the deaths of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, officials did not find initial signs of foul play, though a sheriff鈥檚 deputy concluded the circumstances of the couple鈥檚 deaths were to warrant investigation, according to an affidavit.
The bodies were discovered by two maintenance workers who glimpsed the remains through the windows and called police. Hackman鈥檚 body was found near the kitchen and Arakawa was discovered in a bathroom with pills scattered nearby. One of the couple鈥檚 three dogs was found dead in a crate in the bathroom, the sheriff said.
The condition of the remains 鈥 decomposing and partially mummified 鈥 as well as new evidence from Hackman鈥檚 pacemaker, suggest the couple had been dead for several days, possibly weeks.
Here鈥檚 what we know so far.
Hackman likely dead for more than a week
Hackman and Arakawa鈥檚 bodies had been decomposing for several days before , leaving authorities to piece together the time and circumstances of the deaths long after they occurred.
Hackman was likely before the bodies were found, authorities said, citing data from the actor鈥檚 pacemaker.
The pacemaker shows Hackman鈥檚 鈥渓ast event鈥 was recorded on February 17, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said. 鈥淎ccording to the pathologist, I think that is a very good assumption, that that was his last day of life,鈥 he said.
Investigators have as a cause of death. The couple tested negative for carbon monoxide and a gas company found no significant evidence of gas leaks in the couple鈥檚 home, the sheriff鈥檚 office announced earlier this week.
The pair did not appear to have any external injuries but their remains showed clear signs of decomposition. Arakawa鈥檚 face was bloated and her hands and feet appeared mummified, a sheriff鈥檚 deputy wrote in an affidavit. Mummification usually starts over two weeks after a person dies, Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya said.
Hackman was found in similar condition, with his walking cane and sunglasses next to his body on the floor. The deputy wrote he suspected Hackman had suddenly fallen, but the sheriff later said there was no indication either of them had suffered injuries from a fall.
A dog was also found dead in the bathroom, though investigators have corrected initial details given about the pet. The sheriff鈥檚 office initially said the dog was a German shepherd found in a closet, but later clarified the dog was the couple鈥檚 kelpie mix, Zinna, and was found in a crate, according to the .
The couple鈥檚 other two dogs, Nikitia and a German shepherd named Bear, were found alive, according to Joey Padilla, a pet care specialist involved in their care.
Several personal items have been collected from the couple鈥檚 home as evidence, including cell phones and a monthly planner. Three medicines were also collected: a thyroid medication, Diltiazem 鈥 used to treat high blood pressure or chest pain 鈥 and Tylenol, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Investigators are working to piece together a timeline by analyzing the planner and cell phone data, including phone calls, text messages, events and photos. They鈥檒l also interview maintenance workers, family members and security at the couple鈥檚 gated community.
鈥淲e鈥檙e doing a reverse timeline,鈥 Mendoza said Friday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing a timeline from the time of death and the autopsy and the results, and we鈥檙e going to start working our way backwards.鈥
The sheriff鈥檚 office is expected to release body camera footage from the scene in the coming weeks. Officials are combing through footage from ten deputies who responded to the scene.
Investigators working under a microscope
As with any high-profile investigation, Santa Fe law enforcement are operating under intense scrutiny as they examine the cryptic circumstances of Hackman and Arakawa鈥檚 deaths. And with so many outstanding questions, every step the local sheriff鈥檚 department takes is being closely watched and each unanswered question is met with a flurry of public theories.
Small discrepancies in the sheriff department鈥檚 initial statements have drawn the interest of members of the public who have been fervently following the case, including the corrections regarding the of the couple鈥檚 dead dog.
Confusion also grew regarding whether the home was fully locked when the bodies were found, though investigators who responded to the scene said a door was found open.
A caretaker who to report the bodies told the operator the home was locked and he was unable to enter, according to audio of the call obtained by CNN. Later, a deputy responded to the scene and spoke to the 911 caller and another maintenance worker 鈥渨ho found and located the front door of the residence to be opened/ajar.鈥
It鈥檚 unclear what time the workers found the open door or how many doors the 911 caller had tried to open before calling for help. The sheriff later said the two surviving dogs were able to go in and out of the house through an open door.
The public frenzy over Hackman鈥檚 death comes a few years after the high-profile investigation of the shooting on the set of the Western film 鈥淩ust,鈥 where cinematographer was fatally shot.
Though the Hackman and Arakawa case has captured the attention of the world, some experts warn it may not result in a shocking turn of events. Ron Martinelli, a law enforcement expert and certified medical investigator, told CNN he鈥檚 鈥渧ery confident that it鈥檚 a medical mystery that will be solved.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tragic case. Is it a case of interest? Sure. I think Gene Hackman was one of America鈥檚 greatest actors,鈥 Martinelli said. 鈥淎s far as the death, it鈥檚 a slightly unusual death. But unless they determine that anything criminal happened, right now, it鈥檚 a medical mystery.鈥
CNN鈥檚 Kat Jaeger, Josh Campbell, Lex Harvey and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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