New Mexico, USA — Recent developments on the investigation regarding the suspicious case of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa revealed the causes of their deaths.
In a report on Friday, authorities disclosed that Hackman died of natural causes, days after Arakawa died due to a respiratory virus.
New Mexico office of the medical investigator reported that Hackman died of heart disease, complicated by advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
“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,” said the medical investigator.
Based on the forensic results, Hackman may have lived for about a week after Arakawa’s death. Authorities said that he may have been unaware that his wife was already deceased for days.
Hackman’s pacemaker last showed activity on February 17, reasonably concluding that he may have died around February 18.
Meanwhile, Arakawa’s death was attributed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
Last known activity from Arakawa was on February 11, when she responded to emails and went out shopping.
The couple’s bodies were discovered in their house in New Mexico last week, when a maintenance worker spotted their bodies through the window.
Aside from the couple, one of their dogs was also found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa. This was the same dog that she brought to the veterinary appointment on February 9.
Both bodies were decomposing and showed signs of mummification.