It had been previously disclosed by authorities that Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa did not die of carbon monoxide poisoning, or suicide.
If you remember, Hackman and Arakawa had been found dead in their Santa Fe home. She was lying on the bathroom floor, pills scattered next to her, and he was found lying on the floor in a separate room of the residence.
We now have an update, and according to the official medical examiner’s report, Betsy died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by mice droppings. Hackman had Alzheimers and died a week after Betsy. He probably didn’t know she had already passed, or just gave up.
The medical examiner added that Arakawa likely died on the afternoon of February 11, while Hackman died on Feb. 18, according to an analysis of his pacemaker. Their German Shepherd dog was also found dead.
“Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell said. “He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that’s what resulted in his death.”
“Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” Jarrell said. “He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that’s what resulted in his death.”
Life doesn't always make sense. Tragic.
For the better part of a week, we’ve had online sleuths spitting out a variety of different potential scenarios as to what exactly happened to Arakawa and Hackman. Not of them ended up coming close to the truth.