Gene Hackman And Wife's Cause Of Death Identified

Authorities on Friday revealed the causes of death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa over a week after they were found dead in their New Mexico home.

Hackman, 95, died of heart disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a contributing factor. He died a full week after his wife died in their home of a rare virus spread through rodent droppings, according to Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for the state's Office of the Medical Investigator.

Authorities linked the death of Arakawa, 65, to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.

Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings. It is typically is reported in spring and summer, often due to exposures that occur when people are near mouse droppings in homes, sheds or poorly ventilated areas.

There have been 136 hantavirus cases in the past 50 years in New Mexico. Some 42% of those cases were fatal, according to State Veterinarian Erin Phipps, KTLA reported.

Hackman and Arakawa were found by maintenance workers at their home on Feb. 26. He was found in a mud room of the home and Arakawa was found on the floor in a bathroom. One of their dogs was found dead near Arakawa, two other dogs on the property were alive, according to information investigators submitted to a judge for a search warrant the day after their bodies were found, in which a detective termed the deaths "suspicious."

Arakawa "showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet," and the appearance of Hackman's body was "similar and consistent" with that of his wife, the document states.

Hackman's autopsy revealed he had “very extensive heart disease,” including multiple prior heart procedures and heart attacks. His brain also showed “advanced” Alzheimer’s. He had no food in his stomach, so he hadn't eaten recently before his death, but he also wasn't showing signs of dehydration, Jarrell said, according to KTLA.

Arakawa was last seen alive on Feb. 11. on surveillance video at a pharmacy. She returned home after that outing and her email communication ceased after that day, Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.

“Based on the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that (Arakawa) passed away first,”Jarrell said, according to the New York Times.

Hackman likely died on Feb. 18 based on the last activity from his pacemaker — eight days before the bodies were found. He tested negative for hantavirus, Jarrell said.

Investigators worked over the last week to piece together the couple's last days.

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Before the information about Hackman's pacemaker was released, Mendoza said it was unclear exactly when he and his wife had died and whether they died at or around the same time. The pacemaker information was expected to aid investigators in their attempts to make that determination, he said.

Arakawa was found with a space heater near her head — which may have fallen in the event she abruptly fell to the ground. Police also found an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop nearby, investigators wrote in the court document.

The pills were thyroid medication and not associated with Arakawa's death, Jarrell said, according to the New York Times.

According to court records filed last week, authorities who searched the home retrieved medication that treats high blood pressure and chest pain, thyroid medication, Tylenol, two cellphones, a monthly planner and records from medical diagnostics testing.

"We'll be analyzing the cell phone data — phone calls, text messages, events, photos in the cell phone — to try and piece a timeline together," Mendoza said last week.

• Read more of a detective's description of the scene at Hackman and Arakawa's home when their bodies were found.

A maintenance worker who showed up to do routine work at the house discovered their bodies, investigators said. The worker said he was unable to get inside when a 911 operator asked whether the people in the house were breathing.

“I have no idea,” the subdivision’s caretaker said on the call. “I am not inside the house. It’s closed. It’s locked. I can’t go in. But I can see she’s laying down on the floor from the window.”

He and another worker later told authorities that they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks ago.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.