Late actor Gene Hackman’s wife died at least a day later than originally thought

SANTA FE, New Mexico – The authorities in New Mexico have recovered evidence that Betsy Arakawa, wife of late American actor Gene Hackman, died at least one day later than they had estimated.

The New Mexico authorities initially believed Arakawa had likely died of a rare viral infection on Feb 11, the date she was last seen publicly and stopped returning e-mail correspondence.

But after analysing Arakawa’s cellphone, investigators learnt the classical pianist had made three phone calls on the morning of Feb 12, Ms Denise Womack-Avila, a spokeswoman for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, said on March 17.

She said that Arakawa had made the calls to concierge medical service Cloudberry Health.

Dr Josiah Child, the lead physician there, said in an interview that the clinic called Arakawa back that morning and scheduled an appointment for that afternoon.

He said Arakawa had reported feeling congested but that there were no signs of respiratory distress. She did not show up for her appointment that afternoon, he said.

“I suspect that she was starting to feel ill and that’s why she reached out to us,” Dr Child said.

Arakawa, 65, and Hackman, 95, were

found dead in their secluded home

outside of Santa Fe on Feb 26.

The state medical examiner concluded that Arakawa died from the effects of hantavirus, which is contracted through exposure to rodent excrement. The virus can cause flu-like symptoms before progressing to shortness of breath, as well as cardiac and lung failure.

They said Hackman, who had Alzheimer’s disease, spent another week in the house with her body and died on Feb 18 of heart disease.

The timeline of the couple’s death has shifted as law enforcement has recovered new information about their final outings and communications.

It was about two weeks after Arakawa’s death that a maintenance worker and a neighbourhood security guard discovered their bodies.

Dr Child said Arakawa, who had not been a patient of the clinic’s before, had initially scheduled an appointment for Feb 12, then cancelled it two days before, saying she needed to take care of her husband. The clinic rescheduled the appointment after she called again that morning, he said.

The clinic called Arakawa that afternoon when she did not show up for the appointment, but she did not pick up, Dr Child said. Her contact with the clinic was first reported by British tabloid The Daily Mail.

Hackman’s body was found in the mudroom of their home, while Arakawa’s was found in the bathroom. One of their three dogs, an Australian Kelpie mix, was found dead in a crate near Arakawa.

A report from a veterinary lab that examined the dog’s body determined that the dog, Zinna, most likely died from dehydration and starvation. The dog had recently undergone surgery to the small intestine, the report said. The recent medical procedure could have been why the dog was kept in a crate, the authorities said.

The authorities were able to estimate the time of Hackman’s death by using information from his pacemaker, which led them to conclude that he died on Feb 18, nearly a week after his wife’s death.

Representatives for the couple have started the process of managing Hackman’s estate.

An Oscar-winning actor whose movie career covered more than four decades, Hackman has left an estate worth millions.

According to a copy of his will from 2005 that was filed in New Mexico state court, Hackman had planned to leave his entire estate to Arakawa. His will also named her as his personal representative, the person tasked with handling his estate.

The will indicated that if she was unable to represent him, the duties would go to a lawyer named Michael Sutin, who died in 2019. The will named Ms Julia Peters as his personal representative in the event Mr Sutin could not serve.

Hackman had three children, Christopher Hackman, Elizabeth Jean Hackman and Leslie Anne Allen, from his prior marriage to his first wife Faye Maltese.

The children are listed in Hackman’s will, though not expressly as beneficiaries. The will mentions multiple trusts, the details of which are not public.

Ms Peters described the three children as heirs in court papers.

A copy of Arakawa’s will that was filed in court indicated that she intended to leave her assets to Hackman if he were to survive her and to charity if he did not. Her will was also signed in 2005.

The court filing listed Arakawa’s only heir as her mother, Yoshie Feaster, who is 91.

Last week, Ms Peters asked a court to prevent authorities from releasing police footage or photographic evidence related to the couple’s death.

“During their lifetime, the Hackmans placed significant value on their privacy and took affirmative, vigilant steps to safeguard their privacy,” the filing stated. NYTIMES