Details continue to emerge about the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog after they were found dead in their home in New Mexico on Feb. 26.
Over a week after they were found, investigators said Arakawa, 65, likely died days before Hackman, 95, and they had different causes of death. Here’s what we know from officials.
What did Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa die from?
Hackman died of heart disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor, New Mexico’s chief medical investigator, Dr. Heather Jarrell, said at a news conference on Friday, March 7.
“He had very extensive heart disease,” she said.
Arakawa’s cause of death was hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness, Jarrell said. Hantavirus is spread mainly by rodents, and infections are rare, but Jarrell noted the strain in the Southwest has a high mortality rate of about 38-50%.
It does not spread from person to person, and Hackman tested negative for hantavirus, Jarrell said.
Both Hackman and Arakawa tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning. They also tested negative for COVID-19, the flu and other common respiratory viruses, Jarrell said.
How long had Hackman and Arakawa been dead?
“There is no reliable scientific method to accurately determine the exact time or date of death,” Jarrell said.
But with data from Hackman’s pacemaker, which showed the last record of heart activity on Feb. 18, “it is reasonable to conclude that Mr. Hackman probably died around Feb. 18,” she said.
Cellphone records showed Arakawa made multiple phone calls to a medical concierge service on Feb. 12, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Adan Mendoza initially said her last known communication and activity was on Feb. 11 when she exchanged emails with a massage therapist and was seen at a local grocery store, CVS and pet food store before returning to her home.
Based on her last known activity, it is “reasonable to conclude” Arakawa died before Hackman, but the exact day was not known, Jarrell said.
A search warrant issued on Feb. 26, the day Arakawa and Hackman’s bodies were found, states the two showed signs of decomposition, bloating in the face and mummification of hands and feet. Mummification preserves a body after death and can happen naturally when the skin dries out, according to the National Library of Medicine.
It is unclear what Hackman knew during the time between Arakawa’s death and his own. He showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease, Jarrell said.
Where were Hackman and Arakawa found?
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their home outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, according to deputies who responded to the house at about 1:45 p.m. local time on Feb. 26.
Hackman was found in what is believed to be the home’s mudroom. It appeared he had fallen suddenly, the search warrant says. He was found wearing sweatpants, a long-sleeve T-shirt and slippers.
Arakawa was found in a bathroom near the front door of the home, according to the warrant. The door to the bathroom was opened.
Arakawa was on the ground, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. An opened orange prescription bottle and scattered pills were seen on a countertop near Arakawa, the warrant says.
The pills were a thyroid medication that had been taken as prescribed, Jarrell said. They were not believed to have contributed to Arakawa’s death.
Hackman and Arakawa’s dog also found dead
One of Hackman and Arakawa’s dogs was found dead in a closet of the bathroom where Arakawa’s body was discovered, the warrant says. Mendoza said the dog, named Zinna, was in a kennel or crate.
Arakawa had picked Zinna up from a veterinary hospital on Feb. 9 after a procedure, Mendoza said. Zinna likely died of starvation and dehydration, according to a veterinary lab report obtained by The Associated Press.
Dogs do not get sick from hantavirus, New Mexico State Veterinarian Erin Phipps said at the March 7 news conference.
There were two other dogs found alive on the property when deputies arrived, the warrant says.
How did Arakawa get hantavirus?
Hantaviruses are primarily carried by rodents. Humans can become infected after exposure to urine, droppings or saliva from an infected rodent.
It was not immediately clear exactly how or when Arakawa was infected.
Her and Hackman’s home had a low risk of exposure, “similar to other well-maintained houses in New Mexico,” Phipps said, but added there were signs of rodent entry in other structures on their property.
Hantavirus initially presents with flu-like symptoms and can progress to shortness of breath. “At that point, a person can die very quickly, within 24 to 48 hours roughly speaking, without medical treatment,” Jarrell said.
No signs of a carbon monoxide leak
There were no obvious signs of a gas leak at the home, deputies said.
Santa Fe Fire Department personnel and the New Mexico Gas Company conducted testing at the scene and did not find evidence of a carbon monoxide leak or problems with the pipes, according to the search warrant.
The gas company issued five “red tags,” the sheriff’s office said in an update on March 4. One was for “a minuscule leak,” or 0.33% gas in the air, at a stove burner, which is not a lethal amount, the office said. The other tags were for violations unrelated to gas leaks or carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that kills hundreds of people each year.
No signs of foul play
Deputies found the door to Hackman and Arakawa’s home “unsecured and opened,” the warrant says. They were initially called to the home after someone who arrived to do maintenance did not receive an answer and became concerned, the sheriff’s office said.
There were no signs of forced entry or that the house had been rummaged through, deputies said.
What movies was Gene Hackman in?
Hackman’s career spanned multiple decades in which he starred in dozens of films.
Some of his notable roles included Detective “Popeye” Doyle in “The French Connection” (1971), a surveillance expert who suspects a murder in “The Conversation” (1974) and a sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven” (1992).
He won Academy Awards for best actor in a leading role in 1972 for his performance in “The French Connection” and best actor in a supporting role in 1993 for his role in “Unforgiven.”
Hackman retired from the screen in 2004.
He also wrote or co-authored adventure and historical novels.
Gene Hackman tribute at the Oscars
The Oscars paid tribute to Hackman at the awards show on March 2.
“Our community lost a giant and I lost a dear friend,” actor Morgan Freeman said of Hackman before an In Memoriam video recognized actors and others who had died in the past year.
Freeman appeared in two films with Hackman, “Unforgiven” and “Under Suspicion.”
“Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work,” Freeman said.
Who was Betsy Arakawa?
Arakawa, who was raised in Honolulu, was a concert pianist and co-founder of a home furnishing business, according to The Associated Press.
When she was 11, she performed at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall and later in life, she played with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, the AP reported.
Arakawa and Hackman met while she was working part-time at a California fitness center in the 1980s, according to a New York Times article.
Arakawa helped found Pandora’s, a home decor store in Santa Fe, in 2001, the AP reported.
Does Gene Hackman have any children?
Hackman had three children — two daughters and a son — with his first wife, Faye Maltese.
His daughters Elizabeth and Leslie and granddaughter Annie confirmed his death in a statement.
“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss,” they wrote.
contributed to this report.
