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The troubling timeline surrounding the deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, has been revisited following new evidence. Authorities have now confirmed that Arakawa, a 65-year-old pianist, passed away on February 12, not February 11, as initially reported.
In a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza shared that Arakawa had contacted her doctor on February 12, seeking medical advice. This indicated that she might have been feeling unwell. Arakawa had reached out to a New Mexico-based healthcare concierge company, Cloudberry, inquiring about “esoteric treatment.” The company confirmed she did not have any respiratory illnesses. When she missed a scheduled appointment later that day, Cloudberry tried to contact her but received no response.
Dr. Josiah Child of Cloudberry also revealed that Arakawa had been in touch a couple of weeks before her death to discuss getting an echocardiogram for her husband, Gene Hackman. Authorities had initially suggested that Arakawa’s death was linked to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease spread by rodents, but new information suggests there may have been other factors at play.
When Arakawa’s body was discovered, authorities noted signs of mummification, particularly in her hands and feet, and bloating in her face. She was found on her bathroom floor, with pills scattered nearby, though further details on her cause of death remain limited.
Hackman, who had been battling Alzheimer’s disease, passed away on February 18, a week after Arakawa’s death. Both of their bodies were discovered on February 26 at their home. Hackman is survived by three children: Christopher, 65; Elizabeth, 62; and Leslie, 58.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under investigation, and authorities continue to look into the events leading up to the tragic loss of this iconic couple.