On February 26, maintenance and security personnel headed to the Santa Fe residence of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, discovered the couple’s bodies and one of their three dogs lifeless upon entering their home. Stumbling upon the gruesome scene, they immediately notified local authorities.
The initial mystery about their deaths had caused widespread speculation; however, recent autopsy reports have shed more light on the matter. Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Investigator for New Mexico, attested that both deaths resulted from natural causes and there was no evidence of external trauma.
What was Gene Hackman’s cause of death?
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Autopsy reports indicate that Gene Hackman passed away around a week after his wife’s death. The iconic actor passed away due to heart disease complicated by severe Alzheimer’s disease. There are indications that he may have wandered their sprawling 9,000-square-foot home, lost and unattended, during this period.
His reliance on Arakawa for daily care left him vulnerable to harm in her absence. Hackman was found by the kitchen, wearing his cane and sunglasses, and it is possible he had tried to leave the house before his condition further deteriorated. His last pacemaker activity was on February 18, which is thought to be when he died.
How did Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, die?
Officials have determined that Betsy Arakawa probably died on Feb. 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), an extremely rare but highly fatal respiratory disease caused by exposure to rodent droppings that contain the virus. Surveillance captured Arakawa’s trips to a grocery store, drugstore, and pet store food stand, where she was constantly seen wearing a face mask in efforts to protect her husband’s health.
After returning home sometime between 5:15 pm, she stopped responding to emails, and investigators concluded that she died shortly thereafter. Her body was found in the bathroom, by a space heater, with thyroid medication pills on the floor. Medical examiners confirmed that the hantavirus caused a fatal accumulation of fluid in her lungs, which led to her premature demise.