Betsy Arakawa's Autopsy Confirms Hantavirus Cause of Death

Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, died in mid-February from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease transmitted by infected rodent droppings, as confirmed by her final autopsy report. The report revealed her lungs were heavy and congested with significant fluid accumulation, and she had mild hardening of the blood vessels supplying her heart and body. She tested negative for COVID-19, the flu, alcohol, intoxicating drugs, and showed no signs of trauma, with normal carbon monoxide levels. Investigators found evidence of rodent infestation in several outbuildings on the couple's property, though not in their main home. Gene Hackman died about a week after his wife from heart disease complicated by advanced Alzheimer's disease. The couple were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26.