Re: Gene Hackman, wife and dog found dead in their home in New Mexico

    Gene Hackman Died of Heart Disease and Alzheimer's a Week After
    Betsy Arakawa; Wife's Cause of Death Determined to Be Hantavirus
    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Gene Hackman likely died about a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa,
    died due to hantavirus, a medical examiner announced Friday.
    Hackman died of cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as
    a significant contributing factor, said Heather Jarrell, the chief
    medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical
    Investigator.
    Arakawa likely died about a week earlier, on Feb. 11, of hantavirus,
    a potentially fatal virus transmitted by mice. Both deaths fall
    under natural causes, which can include heart disease, stroke,
    cancer, respiratory failure, infections and age-related
    complications.
    Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead on Feb. 26.
    Authorities said at the time they did not suspect foul play.
    At a news conference on Friday, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said
    that surveillance cameras showed that Arakawa did errands on
    Feb. 11, visiting Sprouts market and a CVS pharmacy. She also
    corresponded with a massage therapist by email that day.
    Her car entered the gated subdivision where the couple lived around
    5:15 p.m. No activity or communications were found after that date.
    Hackman had advanced Alzheimer's disease, as well as severe heart
    disease and a history of heart attacks, Jarrell said. He tested
    negative for hantavirus.
    Erin Phipps, the state public health veterinarian, said at the press
    conference that hantavirus infections are very rare. She said that
    out of 136 infections in the state over the last 50 years, 42% were
    fatal. The virus is typically transmitted through rodent excrement.
    Phipps said there were signs of rodent entry in some of the
    buildings on the property, though the risk in the main house was
    "low."
    Hackman's pacemaker registered cardiac activity on Feb. 17. On
    Feb. 18, the pacemaker picked up an abnormal rhythm, which was the
    last recording, suggesting that he died that day.
    Authorities announced last week that the autopsy found that both
    bodies tested negative for carbon monoxide. The New Mexico Gas
    Company also thoroughly checked the home and found no significant
    leaks.
    According to a search warrant affidavit, Arakawa was found dead on
    the bathroom floor. Pills were scattered on the countertop. At the
    press conference, Jarrell said the pills are thyroid medication that
    was being taken as prescribed.
    Hackman was found in a mud room, off the kitchen. It appeared that
    both had fallen to the floor. A dead dog was also found in a closet
    near Arakawa's body, while two other healthy dogs were roaming the
    property. A necropsy on the dog is still pending.
    A maintenance worker called the authorities after finding the door
    left ajar, and deputies went inside and discovered the bodies.
    The deaths were considered "suspicious enough" to warrant further
    investigation. Detectives recovered two cell phones, a monthly
    planner, and some medications during a search of the property.
    Hackman starred in such films as "The French Connection," "The
    Conversation," and "The Royal Tenenbaums." He had lived in Santa Fe
    since the late 1980s, and served on the board of the Georgia
    O'Keeffe Museum. He won Academy Awards for his roles in "The French
    Connection" and "Unforgiven," and retired from acting about 20 years
    ago.
    Arakawa was a former classical pianist who married Hackman in 1991.
    She owned Pandora's, a home furnishings store in Santa Fe, with a
    friend.
    <https://variety.com/2025/film/news/gene-hackman-cause-of-death-died-week-after-wife-1236331489/>