Authorities will provide on Friday an update about their investigation into the deaths of Oscar-winning cinema giant Gene Hackman and his wife, who were found dead in their home in circumstances police are calling "suspicious."

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The bodies of Hackman, 95, and his classical pianist wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, along with that of a pet dog, were discovered at their property in New Mexico on Wednesday.

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Authorities initially reported there were no signs of foul play, but a search warrant said a detective believed the deaths were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation."

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The Santa Fe County Sheriff's office said on Facebook it would hold a press conference with the fire department at 3 pm local time (2200 GMT) on Friday.

Police officers called to the home by maintenance workers found the door unlocked and open, and pills scattered next to Arakawa's body, which was in the bathroom.

It appeared Arakawa had been dead "for some time," with the body in a state of decomposition, the warrant noted.

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Hackman's body was found in another room, fully clothed, with sunglasses next to his body, apparently having fallen suddenly.

A German Shepherd was found dead in the bathroom, and two other healthy dogs were at the house.

Hackman's daughter Elizabeth Jean told entertainment outlet TMZ that carbon monoxide poisoning may be to blame for the deaths of the couple, who married in 1991.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told a previous press conference that an initial inspection by the local fire department had not found high levels of the gas, but no conclusions had been drawn yet.

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"This is an investigation, so we're keeping everything on the table," he said, adding that there was no sign of a struggle.

Initial autopsy findings showed "no external trauma to either individual," the sheriff's office said in a written update.

Carbon monoxide and toxicology tests have been requested but results are still pending and no cause of death has been determined, it said.

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