Prince William brands Gene Hackman ‘genius’ as star found ‘partially mummified’ at home

Prince William has branded Gene Hackman a “true genius” in a moving tribute.

The legendary actor was found dead alongside his wife Betsy and their dog at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday. Local police say that there is currently an open investigation but they do not believe there to have been any foul play. Reports claim that that Betsy was found decomposed at their home with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feed.

Sheriffs also claim that Gene was in the same level of decomposition as Betsy. Police have since requested a search warrant for the Santa Fe home. According to Sheriff Adan Mendoza, the couple died around midnight on Thursday 27 February and told The Santa Fe New Mexican: “I want to assure the community and neighbourhood that there’s no immediate danger to anyone.”

Now, the Prince of Wales has taken to social media following the tragic news of Gene and Betsy’s death. In a post signed “W” on his X, formerly known as Twitter account, the heir to the throne said: “So sad to hear the news of the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy.

“Hackman was a true genius of film who brought each and every character to life with power, authenticity and star quality.” Maintenance workers Roland Lowe Begay and Jesse Kesler discovered Gene and Betsy’s body at their lavish mansion at 1:46pm, Mountain Time, on Wednesday.

They said they hadn’t seen the couple for two weeks. Betsy was found lying on their bathroom floor with an open bottle of prescription pills scattered across a countertop. Currently, it remains unclear what the pills were and if they had been prescribed to Betsy or Gene. Meanwhile, Gene was found in a mud room off their kitchen.

In a search warrant obtained by TMZ, the official who requested the search warrant has written that he believes “the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”. He went on to write: “The reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened, deputies observed a healthy dog running loose on the property, another healthy dog near the deceased female, a deceased dog laying 10-15 feet from the deceased female in a closet of the bathroom, the heater being moved, the pill bottle being opened and pills scattered next to the female, the male decedent being located in a separate room of the residence, and no obvious signs of a gas leak.”

Elsewhere, The New Mexico gas company claims there are “no signs or evidence” to indicate that there were any problems with the gas pipes around the property. A statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff in New Mexico said there is an “active investigation” was underway: “We can confirm that both Gene Hackman and his wife were found deceased Wednesday afternoon at their residence on Sunset Trail. This is an active investigation – however, at this time we do not believe that foul play was a factor.”

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza stated there was no suicide note and no evident signs of trauma on their bodies. “At this stage in the process there isn’t anything obvious like that,” he said. “The autopsy is going to tell us more.”

Source: Mirror