Authorities determined a cause of death for actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell from New Mexico, announced on Friday.
“I would like to start by saying that it is unprecedented for the medical investigator’s office to make public statements about death investigations,” Jarrell said at a press conference. “However, the circumstances around these two deaths require an accurate spread of important information.”
On February 27, the day after the 95-year-old actor and his 64-year-old woman, the office carried out autopsies.
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Hackman’s cause of death was determined to be hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disorders. He was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s disease, Jarrell said and explained that he might have died without knowing about the condition of his wife. He did not show any signs of dehydration.
The cause of death of Arakawa was determined as a Hantavirus long syndrome.
Hantavirus is a rare disease that can be transferred to people through rodent urine, droppings or saliva. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respiratory failure can cause and include symptoms coughing and shortness of breath.
Dr. Erin Phipps, a public health veterinarian at the New Mexico Department of Health, said that every year between one to seven infections in New Mexico have been registered, 42% of which are fatal.
There were no findings of trauma or other viruses. Carbon monoxide poisoning was previously excluded. Pills found on the spot were thyroid medication that were used as prescribed.
There was no way to determine Arakawa’s time or date of death, but Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the last time she sent electronic communication 11 February.
The last day that cardiac activity was recorded on the Pacemaker of Hackman was on February 18, of which Jarrell said it might have been the day he had died.
A dog named Zina was also found and authorities are still waiting for necropsier results to determine a cause of death. Arakawa picked up Zina on February 9 from the vet, which can explain why the dog was in a crate.
Mendoza said they will regard this as an open examination until they receive the definitive requested information about mobile phones, but they are “fairly close” when knowing the entire timeline of events.
