The causes of death for Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have been officially released online. The deaths of the two celebrities were investigated after they were both found dead in their home on February 26.
It was shared by law enforcement that their deaths were mysterious enough to be investigated. Now, as noted via USA Today, their official causes of death have been determined. Initially it was believed that the two suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, but the real causes of death was quite different.
The outlet, as shared by New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, explained the situation. As it turns out, Arakawa died from Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. This is a rare disease that can be contracted by humans with contact from mouse droppings. The disease cannot be spread from person-to-person.
It’s unclear when Arakawa’s exact death occurred. However, it’s believed to have been about a week prior to Hackman’s own passing. The Superman actor suffered both heart disease and complications from Alzheimer’s disease, and according to the medical investigator, he had a pacemaker which last showed activity on February 18.
The consensus is that Hackman “probably died around Feb. 18,” and that he “was in a very poor state of health” at the time. Thus the investigator believes “he died as a result of his heart disease.” Because of the timing, however, they believe Arakawa died a week prior on February 11 which was when anyone last heard from her.
While the investigation is still ongoing, Arakawa was last seen running errands on February 11. It’s possible that after she arrived home, at some point she passed away, which left Hackman alone. Due to his Alzheimer’s disease, he possibly didn’t know of Arakawa’s death, and simply passed away from natural causes around February 18. Investigators noted he was not dehydrated.
It’s a tragic situation and one that still has a few loose ends worth tying up for investigators. As for now, however, the public now knows the official causes of death for Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa. Only time will tell what else will be uncovered as the situation develops.