Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s cause of death revealed
The Oscar-winning actor was found dead alongside wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog in their home.
Over a week after celebrated actor Gene Hackman was found dead alongside wife Betsy Arakawa in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, officials released their findings on the couple’s causes of death amid what they’d initially described as “suspicious” circumstances.
During a press conference held by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office press conference on Friday afternoon, New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Heather Jarrell, said the office’s investigation revealed 65-year-old Arakawa died from Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease that is contracted by contact with mouse droppings. And Hackman, 95, had heart disease and complications caused by Alzheimer’s disease. His death was determined to be from natural causes.
Hackman’s pacemaker last showed activity on Feb. 18, according to the medical investigator, so Hackman “probably died around Feb. 18,” with Jarrell noting Hackman “was in a very poor state of health” at the time of his death and she thinks “he died as a result of his heart disease.”
It appears that Arakawa died first, according to the medical examiner — likely around Feb. 11, the last time anyone had any communication from her. Jarrell suggested that due to what she called “advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” it was possible Hackman was “not aware” that his wife had died.
“We consider this an open investigation” as there are “other loose ends we need to tie up,” Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.
Betsy Arakawa ran errands in her final days
All of the last communications from Arakawa came on Feb. 11.
On Feb. 9 Arakawa picked up their dog Zinna from a veterinary hospital, the sheriff’s office said. Two days later, they found that she had an email conversation with her massage therapist in the afternoon. By 3:30 p.m. she was at Sprouts Farmers Market and just after 4 p.m. she was at CVS.
She was spotted at a pet store just before 5 p.m. on Feb. 11, and returned home just after 5:15 pm. according to the security at her gated subdivision. She had numerous emails unopened later that day.
That was the last known communication from Arakawa or her husband.
How Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa were discovered
Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies, alongside one of the couple’s dogs, were discovered by authorities on Feb. 26. The two were found in different rooms, with Hackman in a mudroom near his cane, appearing to have fallen.
Arakawa was reportedly in a bathroom near a space heater, discovered with an open bottle of prescription pills scattered on the nearby countertop, a search warrant affidavit revealed. The dog, previously misidentified as one of the pair’s other pups, was found in a closet less than 15 feet away from Arakawa.
Investigators are still looking into their dog’s cause of death.
Family, fans await updates in Gene Hackman case
Prior to Friday’s press conference, officials ruled out a gas leak. In a news release Tuesday, after an “extensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide at Gene Hackman’s home,” the sheriff’s office announced “there were no significant findings.”
Amid this news, the family was trying to stay positive.
“We’re waiting on toxicology. That will tell us everything,” the actor’s nephew, Tim Hackman, told Us Weekly Tuesday. “It’s hard to theorize. There are lots of theories out there and I don’t want to speculate. It’s easy to speculate negative theories.”
“The family wants to keep it positive for now and when we know the truth we will deal with it.”
“No foul play” is suspected at this time, authorities have said, though the circumstances appeared “suspicious.”
Hackman’s nephew seemed similarly alarmed by the details of the scene.
“My uncle was 95 years old at an age where you think about, ‘OK, it’s time,’” he told Us Weekly. “But from the circumstances now things have changed a bit. It’s a major change.”
Hollywood, Hackman’s family mourn deaths
The deaths prompted an outpouring of grief from Hollywood, where Hackman made a name for himself as an affable “everyman.” Starring in projects as varied as the “Superman” franchise, “Hoosiers” and “Crimson Tide,” his near 40-year career saw him shape-shift from villain to villain and then back to good guy all over again.
After five Academy Award nominations and 80 feature films, Hackman simply stopped making movies, tying up his career in 2004 with “Welcome to Mooseport.” Retiring in Santa Fe alongside Arakawa, he retreated to a quieter life, honing his painting and writing skills and weaving himself into the fabric of the community.
“He’s a global superstar and a part of Santa Fe’s local community,” the city’s mayor Alan Webber said. “I think that’s why … the response to his death is so strong because he connects across these different boundaries, and not everybody can do that.”
In a statement to USA TODAY last week, Hackman’s daughters – Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman – and granddaughter Annie said they were “devastated by the loss.”
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” they said. “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.”
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY Entertainment staff
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