Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa's Causes of Death Confirmed in Autopsy

Final autopsy reports have confirmed that Gene Hackman died from severe cardiovascular disease and advanced Alzheimer's, while his wife, Betsy Arakawa, succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome contracted amid a rat infestation in their Santa Fe home. Hackman had a history of congestive heart failure, chronic hypertension, and had a bi-ventricular pacemaker; his advanced dementia likely left him unaware of his wife's death and unable to care for himself in her absence. Medical investigators found that Arakawa died about a week before Hackman, and toxicology reports indicated Hackman had gone days without nourishment, corroborating the theory he was incapacitated after her passing. Hantavirus, the rare rodent-borne disease that killed Arakawa, was linked to evidence of a severe rat infestation in the couple's house, with dead rats and droppings found on the property. Both carbon monoxide poisoning and hantavirus were ruled out in Hackman's case, confirming his death was unrelated to the disease that killed his wife. One of the couple's dogs also died from starvation, highlighting the isolation and tragic circumstances surrounding their deaths.