Video shows moments officers discover Gene Hackman and wife in home
Newly released bodycam footage shows the moments actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their New Mexico home on February 26.
Two months after Gene Hackman was found dead alongside wife Betsy Arakawa at the couple’s New Mexico home, new details are emerging on the late actor’s condition, according to reports.
Hackman, who died at age 95 of natural causes, tested negative for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Fox News and The Associated Press report.
The finding comes after New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Heather Jarrell, previously confirmed that Arakawa, 65, died of the rare disease, which is contracted by contact with mouse droppings.
USA TODAY reached out to New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator, the Santa Fe district attorney’s office and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
During the March 7 press conference announcing Hackman and Arakawa’s causes of death, it was also revealed that Hackman suffered from heart disease and complications caused by Alzheimer’s disease.
Hackman’s pacemaker last showed activity on Feb. 18, according to the medical examiner, 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.
Jarrell shared at the time that a hantavirus infection was likely not a contributing factor in the Oscar-winning actor’s death, although an environmental assessment of the couple’s residence conducted in March found evidence of rodents across various detached buildings around their property.
Meanwhile, the medical examiner speculated that Arakawa probably died first, likely around Feb. 11, the last time anyone had any communication from her. Jarrell suggested that due to Hackman’s Alzheimer’s, it was possible he was “not aware” that his wife had died.
Although Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths were initially described as “suspicious” by authorities (Hackman’s body was found in a mudroom near his cane, appearing to have fallen, while Arakawa was in an open bathroom near a space heater), foul play was not suspected during their investigation.
Gene Hackman autopsy details other health struggles
Per Fox and AP, the autopsy also noted Hackman was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease. An examination of Hackman’s brain “showed microscopic findings” of the disease’s severity, including “neurodegenerative features” associated with the condition, Fox reported.
Regarding Hackman’s cardiac issues, the actor’s autopsy stated that Hackman had a “history of congestive heart failure,” which included the installation of a “bi-ventricular pacemaker” in April 2019, the outlets reported.
Additionally, “remote myocardial infarctions,” or heart attacks, “were present involving the left ventricular free wall and the septum,” per Fox. Some of Hackman’s previous treatments consisted of “coronary artery stents and a bypass graft, as well as a previous aortic valve replacement.”
The autopsy report’s release comes about a month after a New Mexico judge ruled that media records from the investigation of Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths, including audio, autopsy records and videos, could be released to the public, provided that the material does not depict the deceased couple’s bodies.
An investigative report released by New Mexico police April 15 revealed that Hackman was under the weather shortly before his death, according to The Associated Press and The New York Times.
On Feb. 11, Arakawa emailed her massage therapist to cancel an appointment, explaining that Hackman had woken up with “flu/cold-like symptoms,” although she shared that he tested negative for COVID-19.
Contributing: Jay Stahl, Mike Snider, KiMi Robinson and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY
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