April 29, 2025:
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Betsy Arakawa, the concert pianist who was married to actor Gene Hackman, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday (April 29, 2025) that said that her lungs were heavy and congested.
Arakawa, 65, had fluid accumulation in her chest and mild hardening of the vessels that supplied blood to the heart and body, according to the autopsy reports.
Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
Arakawa tested negative for COVID-19 and the flu and showed no signs of trauma, the autopsy report said. Her carbon monoxide levels were within normal range, and she tested positive for caffeine and negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs.
Arakawa’s autopsy and toxicology reports were released two days after similar documents on Hackman’s death were made public, confirming his main cause of death was heart disease.
The 95-year-old actor also was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to his autopsy. He tested negative for hantavirus.
Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa made phone calls and internet searches as she scoured for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.
Recently released videos outline the scope of the investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa.
Before they understood how Hackman and Arakawa died, authorities recorded themselves conducting interviews with workers and returning to Hackman’s home to search for more evidence. Detectives searched the home in early March for Arakawa’s laptop and other clues.
April 28, 2025:
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The main cause of Gene Hackman’s death was heart disease, but he was also in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to a new autopsy report.
The report documents the 95-year-old actor’s poor heart health, noting he had experienced congestive heart failure, an aortic valve replacement and an irregular heart beat. He was given a pacemaker in April 2019.
Hackman’s carbon monoxide concentration was less than 5% saturation, which is within the normal range. He tested negative for the hantavirus, which is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
Authorities have said Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, likely died Feb. 11, 2025, at home from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Her autopsy report hasn’t yet been released.
A toxicology report says Hackman tested negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs, but that he had a low concentration of acetone in his system that indicates prolonged fasting.
Hackman appeared to have outlived Arakawa at home by about a week, possibly unaware of his wife’s death. Hackman’s pacemaker showed an abnormal heart rhythm on Feb. 18 — the day he likely died, according to the state’s chief medical examiner.
Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa made phone calls and internet searches as she scoured for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.
Recently released videos outline the scope of the investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa.
Before they understood how Hackman and Arakawa died, authorities recorded themselves conducting interviews with workers and returning to Hackman’s home to search for more evidence. Detectives searched the home in early March for Arakawa’s laptop and other clues.
April 15, 2025:
March 31, 2025:
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A court on Monday (March 31, 2025) cleared the way for the release of investigative records from the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, as long as depictions of the deceased couple are blocked from view.
The ruling from a New Mexico judge allows the possible release of redacted police body camera video and other investigative materials, including images of the couple’s dead dog. All photos, video and documents from the investigation had been restricted from release by an earlier, temporary court order.
“There shall be no depiction of either body in any video production” or photographic image of the bodies, Santa Fe-based Judge Matthew Wilson said in response to questions from attorneys on his ruling.
A representative for the Hackman family estate had urged a New Mexico judge to keep the records sealed to protect the family’s constitutional right to privacy.
The partially mummified remains of Hackman and Arakawa were found in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26, when maintenance and security workers showed up at the home and alerted police.
Authorities have said Hackman, 95, died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after his wife died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a rare, rodent-borne disease. Hackman may have been unaware Arakawa, 65, was dead.
One of the couple’s three dogs, a kelpie mix named Zinna, also was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, while two other dogs were found alive. A state veterinary lab tied the dog’s death to dehydration and starvation.
Authorities unraveled the mysterious circumstances of the couple’s deaths and described their conclusions at a March 7 news conference without releasing most related written and photographic records.
New Mexico’s open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of dead bodies. Experts also say some medical information is not considered public record under the state Inspection of Public Records Act.
In seeking to block the release of records, estate representative Julia Peters had emphasized the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and potential for their dissemination by media. The Hackman family estate also sought to block the eventual release of autopsy reports by the Office of the Medical Investigator and death investigation reports by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
An attorney for the estate, Kurt Sommer, argued during Monday’s hearing that the couple took great pains to stay out of the public light during their lifetimes and that the right to control the use of their names and likenesses should extend to their estate in death.
The bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and autopsy reports by medical investigators are typically considered public records under state law in the spirit of ensuring government transparency and accountability.
The Associated Press, CBS News and CBS Studios intervened in the matter. Gregory P. Williams, an attorney for the news outlets, told the judge that they had previously said in court filings that they would not disseminate images of the couple’s bodies and would blur images to obscure them from other records.
“There is certainly a public interest in knowing how their deaths were investigated and knowing how that was handled,” Williams said.
Susan Madore, a publicist who had worked with the Hackmans for years, testified that the couple relished living in Santa Fe because it afforded them anonymity. Hackman retired in the early 2000s.
Arakawa had no children, while Hackman is survived by three children from a previous marriage. Privacy likely also will play a role as the couple’s estate is settled. According to probate court documents, Hackman signed an updated will in 2005 leaving his estate to his wife while the will she signed that year directed her estate to him. With both dying, management of the estate is in Peters’ hands.
Without trust documents being made public, it’s unclear who the beneficiaries are and how the assets will be divided.
March 16, 2025:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An examination of the dog found dead along with actor Gene Hackman and his wife in their Santa Fe home shows dehydration and starvation were likely what led to the animal’s demise.
A report obtained by The Associated Press from the state Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab details partial mummification and noted that while the severe decomposition could have obscured changes in the organs, there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning that could have resulted in death.
The report noted that the dog’s stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile.
The kelpie mix named Zinna was one of the couple’s three dogs. It was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Betsy Arakawa’s body, while two other dogs survived.
Authorities confirmed last week that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — took the life of his wife. Hackman, in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, apparently was unaware that his wife was dead.
Hackman was found in the home’s entryway, and Arakawa was found in a bathroom. Like the dog, their bodies were decomposing with some mummification, a consequence of body type and climate in Santa Fe’s especially dry air at an elevation of nearly 7,200 feet (2,200 meters).
While both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is finishing up the investigation by tying up the timeline with any information gleaned from the cellphones collected at the home and last contacts that were made.
“The case is considered active until we have that information to tie up the timeline,” said Denise Womack Avila, a spokesperson for the sheriff.
Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to an incredible companion that was always at Arakawa’s side, said Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility that was involved in the surviving dogs’ care.
Arakawa, born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist, attended the University of Southern California and met Hackman in the mid-1980s while working at a California gym.
Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films including “The French Connection,” “Hoosiers” and “Superman” from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
The pair led a private life after moving to Santa Fe decades ago. A representative for the couple’s estate has cited that privacy in seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports related to their deaths, especially photographs and video. It will be up to a state district judge to consider that request.
March 7, 2025:
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities revealed Friday (March 7, 2025) that actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease and showed severe signs of Alzheimer’s disease a full week after his wife died of hantavirus in their home.
Authorities initially ruled out foul play after the bodies were discovered Feb 26, 2025. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative.
Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell said it was possible that Hackman was not aware his wife was deceased in their home.
“Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” Jarrell said. “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.”
Hackman, 95, was found in the home’s entryway. His death was tied to heart disease with Alzheimer’s disease contributing.
Betsy Arakawa, 65, was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom counter. Authorities linked her death to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
It is typically is reported in spring and summer, often due to exposures that occur when people are near mouse droppings in homes, sheds or poorly ventilated areas.
Jarrell said it was not known how quickly Arakawa died.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza made the announcement alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference.
Investigators earlier retrieved personal items from the couple’s home, including a monthly planner and two cellphones.
March 4, 2025:
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities misidentified a deceased dog while investigating the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, according to a pet care specialist.
The couple’s German shepherd, named Bear, survived along with a second dog named Nikita, but their kelpie mix, Zinna, died, according to Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility that is involved in the surviving dogs’ care.
The dog that died “was always attached to Betsy at the hip and it was a beautiful relationship,” Padilla said in an email statement Tuesday (March 4, 2025). “Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand.”
Authorities have been searching for answers after the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa, whose partially mummified bodies were discovered on Feb. 26 at their Santa Fe home. Hackman and Arakawa may have died up to two weeks earlier, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.
Authorities did not perform a necropsy on Zinna, who was found in a kennel in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said. Investigators initially noted the discovery of a “deceased brown in color German-Shepard canine.”
Avila acknowledged that sheriff’s deputies initially misidentified the breed of the deceased dog.
“Our deputies, they don’t work with canines on a daily basis,” she said.
USA Today first reported on the mistaken identification of the dead dog.
Arakawa’s body was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom countertop, while Hackman’s remains were found in the home’s entryway.
The two bodies both have tested negative for carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that is a byproduct of fuel burned in some home appliances and can be fatal in poorly ventilated homes. No gas leaks were discovered in or around the home.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office also said that a more extensive utility company inspection found that one burner on a stove in the house had a miniscule leak that could not be lethal.
Authorities retrieved personal items from the home, including a monthly planner and two cellphones that will be analyzed. Medical investigators are still working to clarify the cause of deaths but the results of toxicology reports aren’t expected for weeks.
March 1, 2025:
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Preliminary autopsy results didn’t determine how Oscar-winner Gene Hackman and his wife died at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but did rule out that they were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, the sheriff leading the investigation said Friday (Feb. 28, 2025).
The condition of the bodies found Wednesday (Feb. 26, 2025) indicated the deaths occurred at least several days earlier and there was no sign of foul play.
At a news conference, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the initial examination by the medical examiner showed no sign of carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas produced from kitchen appliances and other fuel-burning items. When it collects in poorly ventilated homes, it can be fatal.
Mendoza also said an examination of the 95-year-old Hackman’s pacemaker showed it stopped working on Feb. 17, which means he may have died nine days earlier.
Hackman was found in an entryway. His wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, was found in a bathroom on her side. A space heater was near her head, and pills were scattered next to an open prescription bottle on the counter. Investigators said the heater likely was pulled down when she fell.
Whether the pills or other drugs were a factor won’t be known until toxicology tests are completed in the coming weeks.
Carbon monoxide can be ruled out since it can dissipate from the environment but not from a body, renowned medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden said.
Examiners will look to test blood and urine, if available, but also could turn to an oily fluid that typically accumulates in lung and abdominal cavities, and samples of muscle and brain, to help determine the causes of death.
Dr. Philip Keen, the retired chief medical examiner in Maricopa County, Arizona, said the moment when a pacemaker stops working could mark the point when a person dies, but not always.
“If your heart required a pacemaker, there would certainly be an interruption at that point — and it might be the hallmark of when the death occurred,” Keen said. “But it’s not necessarily because some people get a pacemaker to augment things, not necessarily replace things.”
The initial autopsy also found no external trauma to either body. Dr. Victor Weedn, forensic pathologist, said there are plenty of reasons a body could be found on the ground without any sort of bumps or bruises, including if they simply lay down due to feeling unwell.
Investigators planned to comb through the couple’s phones and monthly planners and reach out to family members, neighbors and workers from the gated community to figure out the last time anyone saw or spoke to Hackman or Arakawa.
The couple was a “very private family,” Mendoza said, making it challenging to piece together a timeline.
Authorities do not believe the home had any surveillance cameras, he said.
Investigators who searched the home retrieved medication that treats high blood pressure and chest pain, thyroid medication, Tylenol, and records from medical diagnostics testing, court records filed Friday showed.
Detectives wrote in a search warrant affidavit that investigators thought the deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation.”
No gas leaks were discovered in or around the home.
A maintenance worker who showed up to do routine work at the house could not get inside and called a security worker who spotted two people on the ground, Mendoza said.
The worker called 911 and told an operator he did not know if they were breathing.
He and another worker later told authorities that they rarely saw the homeowners and that their last contact with them had been about two weeks ago.
Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for “The French Connection” in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for “Unforgiven” two decades later. He also won praise for his role as a coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite “Hoosiers.”
He met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist, at a California gym in the mid-1980s. They moved to Santa Fe by the end of the decade. Their Pueblo revival home sits on a hill with views of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
In his first couple of decades in New Mexico, Hackman was often seen around the state capital and served on the board of trustees for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum from 1997 to 2004.
Aside from appearances at awards shows, Hackman was rarely seen in the Hollywood social circuit in recent years.
Hackman had three children from a previous marriage. He and Arakawa had no children but were known for having German shepherds.
February 28, 2025:
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