Gene Hackman died a week after a virus seen in rodents killed his wife, officials say

Gene Hackman’s wife died from a virus found in rodents, and the actor likely died a week later, but both died from natural causes, officials in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said Friday.

Betsy Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and the Oscar-winning actor, who was in poor health with advanced Alzheimer’s disease, died seven days later, said Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for the New Mexico office of the medical investigator.

His cause of death was determined to be “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor,” she said, based on autopsy findings.

Hantaviruses are spread by rodents, primarily through droppings, urine and saliva and can cause serious illness and death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The viruses can cause diseases like hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.

Hackman tested negative for hantavirus, Jarrell said.

While Jarrell acknowledged “there is no reliable scientific method to accurately determine the exact time or date of death,” she said it is likely Hackman died around Feb. 18 — the day after his pacemaker last recorded an “event.”

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza offered a timeline of Arakawa’s whereabouts in the lead-up to their deaths, and Jarrell noted that Arakawa was last known to be alive on Feb. 11.

Their bodies were found Feb. 26 in separate rooms of their 9,000-square-foot Santa Fe residence. Police were called after a maintenance worker discovered the bodies.

Hackman was found collapsed in a mudroom. Arakawa was found in a bathroom, where an open prescription pill bottle and scattered pills were found on the counter. One of their dogs was also found dead in a closet in a bathroom near Arakawa. 

The Sheriff’s Office has described the deaths as “suspicious,” and said that there are no obvious signs of foul play and that no signs of external trauma were found on the bodies.

Officials initially said the dog that was found dead in a closet in the bathroom was a German shepherd. But the dead dog is now believed to be their Australian kelpie mix, Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility which is involved in the surviving dogs’ care, said to The Associated Press. Mendoza said Friday the dead dog, named Xena, is now undergoing a necropsy and results are pending.

Two other dogs were also found alive on the property, according to the search arrant affidavit in the case.