Overview

• Gene Hackman, 95, died of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor, according to his final autopsy report.
• Betsy Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and often fatal disease transmitted by rodent droppings, with fluid accumulation in her chest and heavy, congested lungs noted in the autopsy.
• Investigators found significant rodent infestation in outbuildings on the couple’s New Mexico property, identifying it as the likely source of Arakawa’s hantavirus exposure.
• Hackman tested negative for hantavirus and had trace acetone in his system, consistent with prolonged fasting before his death, which occurred around February 17, days after his wife’s passing.
• The couple's bodies, discovered on February 26, highlighted challenges in monitoring remote properties and underscored the dangers of rodent-borne diseases in the American Southwest.