The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office updated the recent mysterious death of two prominent Santa Feans on Friday, announcing that actor Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa likely died about a week before her Oscar-winning husband.
The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were found Feb. 26 by a security guard and maintenance man during a wellness check at the couple's home north of town.
At Friday’s press conference, officials said Arakawa, 65, died Feb. 11 from complications caused by hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but serious respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rodents. In New Mexico, deer mice are the primary carriers of the virus. People are typically exposed to it around homes, cabins or sheds, especially when cleaning out enclosed areas where mouse droppings might collect.
Sheriff Adan Mendoza revealed last week that Hackman likely died Feb. 18, according to cardiac data obtained from his pacemaker. On Friday, Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, said Hackman, 95, died from "significant heart disease" and was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, she added. Jarrell said it's "quite possible" he was not aware that his wife died.
When asked if Hackman was aware his wife died, Jarell said it was impossible to know but that Hackman was "clearly very ill."
One of the couple's three dogs was found dead in a crate in the bathroom closet where Arakawa was found. Results regarding the dog's death remain pending.
