Records show Gene Hackman's wife researched symptoms of illness days
before her death
[April 16, 2025]
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities on Tuesday released a trove of
records related to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, including a
lengthy investigation report detailing some of the last emails, phone
calls and internet searches by Hackman's wife indicating that she had
been scouring for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing
techniques.
Betsy Arakawa died in February of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a
rare, rodent-borne disease that can lead to a range of symptoms that
include flu-like illness, headaches, dizziness and severe respiratory
distress, investigators have said. Hackman is believed to have died
about a week later of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s
disease.
The partially mummified remains of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were
found in their Santa Fe home Feb. 26, when maintenance and security
workers showed up at the home and alerted police.
Photos, hours of footage and other documents were made public Tuesday
after a recent court order that mandated any depictions of the deceased
couple would be blocked from view. Authorities said additional records
including dashboard camera footage could later be released.
The records had been restricted from release by an earlier, temporary
court order. The Hackman estate and family members had sought to keep
the records sealed to protect the family’s privacy.
According to the lengthy investigation report, a review of Arakawa's
computer showed she was actively researching medical conditions related
to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms between Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb.
12. The searches included questions about whether COVID-19 could cause
dizziness or nosebleeds.
She also had mentioned in an email to her massage therapist that Hackman
had woken up Feb. 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms but that a COVID-19
test was negative and she would have to reschedule her appointment for
the next day “out of an abundance of caution.”
Arakawa's search history also showed a query for a concierge medical
service in Santa Fe the morning of Feb. 12. A review of her phone
records by investigators showed she had a call with the service that
lasted less than two minutes and missed a return call later that
afternoon.
Investigators reviewed a call history to the home phone along with
voicemails and security footage from stores that Arakawa had visited
Feb. 11.
The redacted police body camera footage showed investigators working
inside the home as they tried to piece together what had happened to the
couple.
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This is an undated image provided by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's
Office during the course of their investigation and search of the
home of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, where the two were
found dead Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Santa
Fe County Sheriff via AP)
 Investigators found one of the
couple's dogs sitting in the bathroom near Arakawa's body. They then
walked to the other side of the house, where Hackman was found dead.
“Two totally separate areas of the house,” an officer comments.
“Mhm, it’s strange,” another responds.
The officers, worried about a possible gas leak or carbon monoxide
poisoning, opened doors and windows around the house. Subsequent
testing showed there were no leaks.
The footage showed them going through rooms of the home and finding
nothing out of the ordinary and no signs of forced entry, with the
couple’s art collection still adorning shelves and walls throughout.
The investigators also can be seen counting cash that was found
around the home and looking at the prescription medication on the
bathroom counter as one of the couple’s dog barked in the
background.
An environmental assessment of the Hackman property by state health
personnel found rodent feces in several outbuildings along with live
traps on the property. There was no evidence of rodent activity
inside the home.
Nestled among the piñon and juniper hills overlooking Santa Fe, the
Hackman home is not unlike others in the area as mice are common
within the surrounding landscape.
One of the couple’s three dogs also was found dead in a crate in a
bathroom closet near Arakawa, while two other dogs were found alive.
A state veterinary lab tied the dog’s death to dehydration and
starvation.
An attorney for the estate, Kurt Sommer, argued during a hearing
last month that the couple had taken great pains to stay out of the
public light during their lifetimes and that the right to control
the use of their names and likenesses should extend to their estate
in death.
The Associated Press, CBS News and CBS Studios intervened in the
matter, saying in court filings that they would not disseminate
images of the couple’s bodies and would blur images to obscure them
from other records.
___
Associated Press writers Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Jacques Billeaud
in Phoenix contributed to this report.
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