Adan Mendoza: Last News

The sheriff’s office in Santa Fe has provided a new update on the investigation into Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa‘s deaths.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Gene Hackman likely died about a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, passed away due to hantavirus, a medical examiner announced Friday. Hackman died of cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor, said Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator. Arakawa likely died about a week earlier, on Feb.

found dead alongside one of their dogs in their sprawling $3.8m home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Feb. 26.

Oscar-winner Gene Hackman and his wife died at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but did rule out that they were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, the sheriff leading the investigation said Friday.The condition of the bodies found Wednesday indicated the deaths occurred at least several days earlier and there was no sign of foul play.At a news conference, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the initial examination by the medical examiner showed no sign of carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas produced from kitchen appliances and other fuel-burning items.When it collects in poorly ventilated homes, it can be fatal.Mendoza also said an examination of the 95-year-old Hackman’s pacemaker showed it stopped working on Feb. 17, which means he may have died nine days earlier.Hackman was found in an entryway.His wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, was found in a bathroom on her side.A space heater was near her head, and pills were scattered next to an open prescription bottle on the counter.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday his department is still waiting for final autopsy and toxicology reports on the deaths of Gene Hackman and  Betsy Arakawa, but has a fair idea of when the Oscar winner actually died.

Nearly 10 months since the fatal "Rust" shooting, which resulted in cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death, the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office has received the full forensic report from the FBI. According to a press release, the Santa Fe Sheriffs' detectives received the FBI's completed forensic reports on Aug.

fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the messages discussed the possible use of live ammunition on a different movie set a few months prior to the start of production on the Rust movie.The department recently released all files relating to its ongoing investigation into the tragic incident, including video footage of Alec Baldwin practicing with a revolver, and the actor’s interviews with officers afterwards.Baldwin walked officials through the moment he shot Hutchins, referring to the past fatal shooting accidents on a movie set of Brandon Lee and Jon-Erik Hexum, adding: ‘I’ve shot enough guns in my day on movies and I’ve never seen this before.’Speaking to NBC’s Today show, Sheriff Mendoza said: ‘There was complacency on the set, there was disorganisation and a degree of negligence, whether that rises to a criminal level that’ll be up to the district attorney.’Asked about how the live rounds had come to be used he continued: ‘That was one of the key things we were looking into but as of right now no one has come forward and admitted to bringing the live rounds onto the movie set.‘There was information from text messages that was concerning based on the fact that live ammo was spoken about and was possibly used on a prior movie set.‘That was just a few months ago before the Rust movie production began so that is concerning.’Sheriff Mendoza said that it was ‘too early to rule anything out’ at this stage of the investigation as they awaited the return of forensic results, adding: ‘I don’t think anybody’s off the hook when it comes to criminal charges.’Other footage released yesterday from the Sheriff’s office included bodycam video from the set showing paramedics desperately trying

Alec made reference to two others who'd been killed in similar circumstances on film sets - Jon-Erik Hexum and Brandon Lee - and questioned whether a piece of material lodged inside the gun could have been what led to injury.The footage from the investigation shows that Alec identified himself to law enforcement immediately when they arrived, stating: "I’m the person that had the gun in the scene."He later recalled: "I take the gun out slowly, I turn, I cock the pistol – bang – it goes off, she hits the ground, she goes down."Director Joel Souza was also injured after the bullet that killed his colleague ricocheted off him with a sickening bang.He told officers that the impact of the bullet was equivalent to being "kicked in the shoulder".After stumbling, he then witnessed blood seeping out around him."I was down on my a** and I look over and see the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with blood coming out of her back," he reported."There was a bang that was louder than I ever heard come from a blank before."The sheriff's office also released video footage of paramedics at the scene desperately trying to revive Halyna, to no avail.However Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that FBI forensics on the firearm and bullet are yet to be released.There has also been no public release addressing Alec's phone records, despite earlier claims that police had been trying to obtain them.Rust Movie Productions has been fined £104,810 after investigators concluded in a report that the production company "knew firearm safety procedures were not being followed on set".The report stated that "plain indifference to employee safety" had been demonstrated too.The fine, which followed six months of intense investigation, is the highest amount possible

Law enforcement officials released a trove of video evidence Monday in the ongoing investigation of a fatal October shooting of a cinematographer by actor and producer Alec Baldwin on the set of a Western movie.

Six months following the "Rust" movie shooting, which resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office has released everything they've collected in the investigation so far.  "Today the sheriff's office is releasing all files associated with our ongoing investigation," Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital on Monday.  "The files are all related to the 'Rust' movie set investigation and include lapel/dash camera footage from deputies and detectives, incident reports, crime scene photos, examination reports, witness interviews, set video and staff photos collected throughout the course of this investigation." Six months following the "Rust" movie shooting, which resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office has released everything they've collected in the investigation so far. (Sam Wasson/Getty Images  |  Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie) Per the release, the investigation is still open, and it remains ongoing.

The armorer on the set of "Rust" offered a chilling theory through her attorneys about what led to the accidental shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.  Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was one of four people who handled the weapon prior to Alec Baldwin firing it while rehearsing a scene for the indie-western. As a result, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that the investigation is largely focused on her as well as how a live round made its way to the set of the film at all.  Speaking on the "Today" show Wednesday Jason Bowles and Robert Gorence claim that the bullets their client loaded into the gun on the day of the shooting were taken from a box that was only supposed to contain dummy rounds that were incapable of firing.

fired the prop weapon on the set of the film Rust, which resulted in the death of Hutchins and injuries to director Joel Souza on Thursday (October 21), authorities say.“I think the facts are clear – a weapon was handed to Mr Baldwin.