A pathologist believes legendary actor Gene Hackman may have found his wife, Betsy Arakawa, dead first and collapsed due to stress.

James Gill, Chief Medical Examiner with the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical E examiner, isn't investigating the couple's mysterious recent deaths, but did theorize about potential outcomes while speaking to PEOPLE.

“From the initial kind of circumstances, it seems like he may have collapsed,” he says. “He's got a history of heart disease. He's got a pacemaker. So that would not be unusual. But the unusual part is that why then did she also collapse? Assuming she would've found him. Then you start wondering about: There is this thing where the stress of seeing someone die that could have triggered a natural death in her.”

Gill then acknowledged the possibility of Arakawa, 65, having died first and Hackman, 95, having potentially "found her and was going out to get help or get his phone, and he then collapsed from the stress of that, too. Just as likely. He's older, he’s got known heart disease. But the autopsy would certainly show if she had heart disease or cancer or what have you.”

Gill acknowledged that two natural deaths occurring around the same time “has been known to happen, kind of a broken heart-type thing, almost.”

“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,” he added.

Police are considering the deaths of Hackman and Awakawa to be "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation," according to a police affidavit obtained by TMZ last Thursday (February 27). A Santa Fe detective wrote that the "reporting party found the front door of the residence unsecured and opened," as well as "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."

The deputy reported that Arakawa was found lying on the ground in the bathroom with a black space heater near her head, believing the heater could have fallen after Arakawa abruptly fell on the ground. An orange prescription bottle was open with pills scattered on the countertop.

Arakawa appeared to be dead for some time prior to being found as her body was in a state of decomposition with bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Hackman was reportedly found in a separate room near the kitchen fully clothed and suspected to have possibly fallen as his sunglasses were next to his body.

The local fire department said there were no signs of carbon monoxide leak or poisoning, which was initially suspected to be a potential cause of death by Hackman's family.

"As of now, there are no signs or evidence indicating there were any problems associated to the pipes in and around the residence," the affidavit stated, according to TMZ.

Hackman, a two-time Academy Award winner, and Arakawa, were married for 34 years. Police reportedly found the couple at around 1:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday (February 26).

Hackman's legendary acting career spanned more than 60 years, providing an everyman believability to numerous iconic roles, including playing Jimmy Doyle in The French Connection (1971) and Little Bill Daggett in Unforgiven (1992), which won him the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. The California native was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for roles in Bonnie & Clyde (1968) and I Never Sang for My Father (1971), as well as Best Actor for Mississippi Burning (1989).

Hackman is also remembered for playing arch villain Lex Luthor in Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), as well as Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers (1986) and Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) among numerous other iconic roles.

Jeffrey T. Mason