Two months after the actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, final autopsy results on the couple have been released.
These shed further light on the state of health of Hackman, 95, at the time when his and his wife’s bodies, along with that of one of their dogs, were found by a maintenance worker on 26 February. It is believed that Hackman died around a week after his wife, whose cause of death was hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-borne disease.
Hackman’s autopsy “showed severe atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease with placement of coronary artery stents and a bypass graft, as well as a previous aortic valve replacement,” said the report, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Remote myocardial infarctions were present involving the left ventricular free wall and the septum, which were significantly large. Examination of the brain showed microscopic findings of advanced stage Alzheimer’s disease.”
According to the autopsy, Hackman had been fitted with a “bi-ventricular pacemaker” since April 2019. His estimated date of death was determined by the last recorded activity on this device, while Arakawa’s was judged to be 12 February – the last date she corresponded by email or telephone.
It is understood that Hackman might not have appreciated his wife was dead in the six days after her passing, such was the level of his dementia.
The autopsy also noted Hackman had a “history of congestive heart failure” as well as “severe chronic hypertensive changes, kidneys” and “neurodegenerative features consistent with Alzheimer’s disease”.
Early investigations ruled out death by carbon monoxide poisoning, while a necropsy report confirmed that Arakawa had died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-borne disease.
Confusion over the circumstances of the death of Hackman, Arakawa and their kelpie mix, Zinna, has persisted since the discovery of their bodies (two other dogs were found alive and well).
Initial suspicions that they died of a gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning were confounded by the findings that Arakawa had died of the rare respiratory condition.
Hantavirus pulmonary disease is fatal in nearly four out of 10 people who are infected, but fewer than 730 cases were identified in the US between 1993 and 2017.
Further police investigations of their grounds discovered widespread evidence of rodent infestation. Meanwhile, recently released body cam footage of the local police department’s first visit to the property suggested the couple may have struggled to keep their home under control, while a discarded plaster indicated Arakawa might have been bitten by a rodent.
Further questions have also been raised about why the couple did not have a more robust care package in place.
