The Daily Populous Saturday March 8th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by abcnews.go.com and submitted by She-Hemoth

Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Jan. 19, 2003.

The causes of deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were revealed by officials on Friday, more than one week after the couple was mysteriously found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home.

Hackman, 95, died of cardiovascular and Alzheimer's disease likely around Feb. 18, about one week after his wife died from a rare syndrome, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, on about Feb. 11, officials said.

Hackman's death was from "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor," Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for the state's Office of the Medical Investigator, announced at a news conference.

"Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," she said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think, ultimately, that is what resulted in his death."

Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Jan. 19, 2003. Mark J. Terrill/AP

Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease transmitted through rodent urine, droppings or saliva, officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the disease "initially causes flu-like symptoms that can progress to more severe illness where people have trouble breathing."

Those who contract hantavirus after being exposed to rodent excrement often feel ill for roughly three to six days, Jarrell said.

"Then they can transition to that pulmonary phase, where they have fluid in their lungs and around their lungs," she said. "And at that point, a person can die very quickly, within 24 to 48 hours, roughly speaking, without medical treatment."

Hackman was likely home with his deceased wife for one week before he died, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said. There was no food in his stomach, which means he had not eaten recently, but he had also no evidence of dehydration, officials said.

Hackman "was in an advanced state of Alzheimer's, and it's quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased," Jarrell said, adding that the "question is difficult to answer."

The house owned by actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe, N.M. Roberto E. Rosales/AP

The Academy Award-winning actor and his wife were found dead during a Feb. 26 welfare check, with no obvious signs of how they died, the sheriff's office said.

Authorities said last week that the couple tested negative for carbon monoxide. The New Mexico Gas Company also concluded its investigation for carbon monoxide at the home, saying there were "no significant findings" of leaks.

Authorities said last week that their deaths were "suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation," according to a search warrant affidavit.

Sherif Adan Mendoza speaks at a press conference on March 7, 2025. Pool via ABC News

Hackman was discovered on the floor in the mud room and it appeared he fell suddenly, according to the search warrant.

Hackman suffered from "severe heart disease, including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, evidence of prior heart attacks and severe changes of the kidneys due to chronic high blood pressure," Jarrell said.

The actor's "initial pacemaker data revealed cardiac activity on Feb. 17, with subsequent pacemaker interrogation demonstrating an abnormal rhythm of atrial fibrillation on Feb. 18, which was the last record of heart activity," Jarrell said.

Hackman tested negative for hantavirus, officials noted.

Arakawa was found lying on her side on the floor in a bathroom, with a space heater near her body, according to the search warrant. Her body showed signs of decomposition; there was mummification to her hands and feet, the document said.

On the counter near Arakawa was an opened prescription bottle, with pills scattered, according to the search warrant. The pills were determined to be thyroid medication that was being taken as prescribed and did not appear to have any contribution to her death, officials said on Friday.

One of the couple's three dogs was found dead in a crate about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa's body, officials said.

But their two other dogs were found alive. It appeared they had access to a doggy door; one dog was found near Arakawa's body and the other was located outside, according to Mendoza.

The sheriff on Friday outlined Arakawa's final days.

On Feb. 9, Arakawa picked up one of their three dogs -- the dog who was later found dead in the home with the couple -- from a vet hospital after a procedure, which may explain why the dog was discovered in a crate when the bodies were found, the sheriff said.

On the afternoon of Feb. 11, Arakawa went to a farmer's market, CVS and a pet food store, and entered her gated community at 5:15 p.m., the sheriff said.

There's no evidence she had any communication after Feb. 11, the sheriff said, saying all of her emails were unread after that date.

It's possible the dog died from lack of access to food and water, said Dr. Erin Phipps, veterinarian with the New Mexico Department of Health, but officials are awaiting results of the necropsy.

Dogs do not get sick from hantavirus, she noted.

There were 864 cases of hantavirus in the U.S. from 1993 to 2022, according to the CDC.

ricobirch on March 7th, 2025 at 22:11 UTC »

Living with your wife's corpse for a week while your dog starves to death trapped in a crate while not having the cognitive ability to do anything about it.

What an absolute nightmare.

IndividualPants on March 7th, 2025 at 21:32 UTC »

Damn, she was dead for a week before he died... that's so sad.

Welshgirlie2 on March 7th, 2025 at 21:31 UTC »

Looks like she died first but the extent of his Alzheimers meant he didn't realise. So very sad.