Actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, attended the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills on Jan. 19, 2003. Betsy Arakawa was observed carrying out her regular activities in early February. She was seen running errands around Santa Fe while wearing a mask, visiting various stores, and emailing her massage therapist. Investigators now believe she passed away on Feb. 11, with prescription pills found nearby. Hackman, 95, was discovered in the house a few days later, having succumbed to heart disease and Alzheimer’s. The couple’s bodies were found on Feb. 26 by maintenance workers. Authorities stated that Hackman had been living a quiet life in Santa Fe, engaged in painting, community events, and spending time with Arakawa. The medical examiner indicated that Hackman’s deteriorating health, including advanced Alzheimer’s and heart disease, contributed to his passing. Arakawa’s final days were pieced together through surveillance footage and emails, with authorities noting the presence of hantavirus in her system.
There was a discovery of rodent entry in some structures on the property. Officials stated that roughly 38% to 50% of people in the Southwest who are infected and display respiratory symptoms die from the disease. The couple was found by maintenance workers in their housing community just before 2 p.m. on Feb. 26. Subsequently, the workers alerted a community caretaker, who then contacted 911. The caretaker, while looking through a window, saw two motionless bodies inside the home and urgently requested quick assistance. Gene Hackman’s body was found near the kitchen and a mudroom, while Arakawa’s body was discovered in a bathroom near the main entrance. Prescription pills were found scattered on a nearby countertop.
The positioning of the bodies suggested that they may have suddenly fallen. Sadly, a dog was also found dead inside the home, while two other dogs were alive and able to move in and out through a back door. Authorities later disclosed the removal of medication, including treatment for high blood pressure, Tylenol, and thyroid medication.
Hantavirus is a rare but lethal condition with a mortality rate ranging from 38% to 50% among infected individuals in the American Southwest. These viruses are spread through rodent feces, saliva, and urine. Most hantaviruses in the U.S. can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. People can contract the syndrome by inhaling air contaminated with the virus, touching infected objects, being bitten or scratched by an infected rodent, or consuming food tainted with hantavirus.
While the home of Arakawa and Hackman had a low exposure risk, signs of rodents were observed in other structures on the property. New Mexico has reported one to seven hantavirus cases annually in the last five years. Between 1993 and 2022, 122 cases and 52 deaths were recorded in New Mexico, with California reporting 78 cases and 24 deaths during the same period. Notably, there was a hantavirus outbreak in Yosemite National Park in 2012 that resulted in several infections and fatalities.
The deer mouse is a common carrier of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the U.S.
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