Doctors reveal disturbing cause of death for Hackman and wife

When the death of Gene Hackman was announced, the death itself was not so shocking considering recent reports on his health, but the circumstances had people asking a lot of questions.

Most of those questions have been answered and sadly, the situation is far more horrific than any of us could have imagined.

Hackman Found Dead

Hackman and his wife were found dead when a worker saw the bodies through the window of the home and reported it to police.

At the time, nobody had seen the couple in weeks, and they had not made a public appearance together in more than a year, at which point Hackman looked frail and sickly.

The report stated that the wife had been found dead in one room with pills scattered about, and Hackman had been found in a separate room, also having been dead for some time.

Additionally, one of the family pets was found dead in the home, locked in its kennel.

Hackman’s Wife Likely Died First

When the death was first reported, it appeared that the couple committed suicide together, but that theory was quickly dispelled as more details were provided.

It was then thought that Hackman had suffered a cardiac event, and his wife had possibly died after falling while trying to get Hackman his medicine, but that too was proven to be false.

Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a very rare infectious disease linked to rodents. The last time anyone had heard from Arakawa was on February 11, which is when doctors believe she likely died.

When her body was found toward the end of the month, she showed signs of mummification, so she clearly had been dead for some time.

Hackman Died a Week Later

The last recorded event on Hackman’s pacemaker was February 17, which is when doctors believe he died, which means he was alone in the house with his dead wife for about a week before he passed, all the while the dog was locked in the crate, starving to death.

Hackman was believed to be suffering from Alzheimer’s, which could explain the pills on the floor. Perhaps he went to get his pills and the sight of his dead wife frightened him, likely having little or no idea who she even was at that point.

That alone could have triggered the cardiac event, not to mention nobody was there for a week to take care of him, so he was likely not eating.

New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell explained, “He was in a very poor state of health. He was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s disease and it was quite possible he did not know that she was deceased.” Authorities are still investigating the death of the dog, but as I noted above, it seems likely the dog died from starvation having been locked in the crate for nearly three weeks by time the bodies were found.