As detectives discerned details of the February 26 tragedy, the probe continued into the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and one of their three dogs.

Rumors swirled after their deaths as to what had happened. Still, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office said in an update this week that an investigation of the area by the New Mexico Gas Company found that gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning were not at issue.

The NMGC, however, said that just one red tag was displayed for a small gas leak, 0.33%, which was still not severe enough to kill someone. The remaining four red tags were for code enforcement violations unrelated to gas leaks or carbon monoxide, including a water heater and gas log lighters in three fireplaces.

Expert Medical Recommendations for Adding New Theories

Dr. James Gill, Chief Medical Examiner with the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, offered other possible explanations but is not officially involved in the Hackman case.

"From the initial circumstances, it seems like he may have collapsed," Gill told PEOPLE. "He had a history of heart disease and a pacemaker. That would not be unusual. But the unusual part is, why did she also collapse?"

"Assuming she would have found him, then you start wondering if the stress of seeing someone die triggered a natural death in her."

Is a Broken Heart to Blame?

Gill proposed that Arakawa may be dead first and that Hackman, finding her under circumstances similar to her death, died in one fell swoop too.

"He could have been going to get help or reach his phone when he collapsed from the stress," Gill said. "Just as likely. He's older, he has known heart disease. But the autopsy would certainly reveal if she had any underlying conditions like heart disease or cancer."

The concept of a "broken heart" as a cause of death is not unheard of. "Suddenly finding your loved one dead on the floor can increase adrenaline levels and stimulate the heart to beat faster, which can trigger an irregular heart rhythm," Gill explained.

Gill also speculated that the nature of his death could have been inflicted by himself intentionally.

"Suddenly finding your loved one dead on the floor that can increase your adrenaline and that stimulates your heart to beat faster, and that can put your heart into an irregular rhythm."

Results from the complete analysis of the toxicological analyses will take weeks.

Hackman's family has not publicly weighed in on theories surrounding his death but asked for privacy while the investigation continues.

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Celebrity deaths