More unfortunate news regarding the deaths of two-time Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, has been made
More unfortunate news regarding the deaths of two-time Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, has been made available to the public. According to a report obtained by CNN, multiple dead rodents and rodent nests were found scattered throughout their $3.8 million Santa Fe estate, where both were found dead on February 26.
The report was filed by the New Mexico Department of Public Health after a homesite environmental assessment of the multimillion-dollar property was conducted on March 5, a week after Hackman’s and Arakawa’s bodies were discovered. Records show that rodent feces were found in three detached garages on the property, as well as in two casitas and three sheds.
Per CNN, a live rodent, a dead rodent, and a rodent nest were also found in the three garages on the property. According to the report, Hackman and Arakawa’s primary residence was tidy and showed no evidence of rodent activity. Rodents reportedly had access to eight other buildings on the property. Investigators found live traps in the outbuildings during their assessment and also saw rodents in two vehicles found on the property.
Arakawa, 65, likely died on February 12, with the cause having been hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a infrequent infectious disease resulting from a virus primarily spread via rodents. Arakawa was initially believed to have died on February 11, but officials now think that Arakawa died the following day, as she reportedly called the concierge medical service Cloudberry Health early on February 12. She was found on a bathroom floor next to a counter scattered with loose pills, near the couple’s dog Zinna, who was found dead in a crate in the bathroom closet.
Hackman, 95, died on February 18, approximately a week after his wife, based on the last activity from his pacemaker. His autopsy reportedly showed signs of stern heart disease, with evidence of previous heart attacks and several surgical procedures; advanced Alzheimer’s disease was also cited as having contributed to his death. He was found in the mudroom, off the kitchen, near his cane. Hackman tested negative for hantavirus.
The homesite environmental assessment was conducted to ensure that investigators, first responders, and family members who had visited the Sante Fe Summit home were sheltered following the hantavirus discovery. Erin Phipps, the New Mexico state public health veterinarian, reported that risk exposure in Hackman and Arakawa’s primary residence was low. Phipps has previously said that diagnoses of hantavirus are somewhat infrequent, but the condition has been fatal in 41% of cases in New Mexico, per CNN. Per the New Mexico Department of Health, there were 17 cases of hantavirus in the state between 2022 and 2024.
Hackman was a prolific actor who won two Academy Awards, for The French Connection (1971) and Unforgiven (1992). He married Arakawa in 1991 and retired from acting in 2004. Hackman and Arakawa lived full-time on the Santa Fe, New Mexico, property.
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