Breaking news, actor Gene Hackman's cause of death revealed it is tragic. Chad officials tonight say the actor's wife died a week before Hackman, his longtime love, Betsy Arakawa, died of hantavirus. It's a rare flu like disease linked to rats, and officials say Hackman's advanced Alzheimer's was so severe that he lived in their New Mexico house or survived might be the better word for a week with his wife's dead body before he also passed away.
It is a terrible tragedy, and Veronica miracle is out front in New Mexico tonight with new details. A mystery that captured the world's attention now appears to be a terrible tragedy. Oscar winner Gene Hackman, in ailing health and suffering from Alzheimer's, was likely with his wife's body for days after she suddenly died of an infectious disease.
The cause of death for Miss Betsy Hackman, aged 65 years, is haunting virus pulmonary syndrome. The manner of death is natural. Humans can get the rare hunter virus disease from contact with rodents and its transmitted to people through their feces or urine.
Investigators say she died suddenly, likely a week before her husband. Was he aware that Miss Hackman had died? And I think that question's difficult to answer.
But I can tell you that he was in an advanced state of Alzheimer's, and it is quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased. The cause of death for Mr Gene Hackman, aged 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor. Hackman's pacemaker data showed he likely died on February 18th, according to investigators.
Betsy was last seen on surveillance video at a local CVS and grocery store on February 11th. While they don't know her exact time of death. They believe she died that day.
Officials say Hunter virus is a serious disease, but rare. The Santa Fe County fire chief isn't aware of the last case they've had in the county. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a rare disease caused by hantavirus, but a small number of human infections are found every year in New Mexico.
42% of these infections here in New Mexico were fatal. On February 26th, the couple were discovered dead by maintenance workers. Officials did not find any signs of forced entry, but considered the circumstances suspicious enough to warrant a thorough investigation.
The 95 year old actor was found on the ground in a mud room, according to a search warrant. Arakawa Hackman was found on the ground inside a bathroom next to an open prescription pill bottle with pills scattered. One of the couple's three dogs was found dead in a locked crate near Alcoa's body.
The dog had recently visited the vet before Patsy died. There was a procedure that was done with the with the dog, which may, explain why the dog was in a crate at the residence. Officials are still waiting for the exact cause of death for the dog, but they can say it didn't die of hunter virus as dogs can't get the disease.
They believe the dog may have died from starvation. And Erin Betsy was 30 years younger than Gene and appeared to be his caretaker. So when she died, it appears there's no one to care for him.
The medical examiner says that he did not have any food in his stomach when he died. In terms of the investigation, as far as what's next, it is still an open investigation. They're reviewing cell phone records.
They also are going to review the results of the necropsy of the dog, and they're going to be releasing body camera footage of those deputies who arrived. But authorities say this is winding down. Erin.
All right, Veronica, thank you very much. Doctor Peter Hotez is OutFront now, the dean of tropical medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, where the school does a lot of research on hantavirus. And Doctor Hotez, of course, a world renowned infectious disease expert.
So, Doctor, you know, this is just such, such a tragedy. Can you just explain how rare hantavirus is and how Gene Hackman's wife, Betsy could have even contracted it? Yeah.
Aaron, it's it's rare, but there are about a handful of cases every year in New Mexico. seven, I think in 2024 and seven cases in 2023. I think this may have been the first case, this year, that tends to occur more in the northwestern, part of the state rather than in Santa Fe.
And the reason is because there's a type of mouse called the deer mouse, that can harbor the virus with no symptoms. And, what happens is, if there's a, mouse infestation in your home and that mice get in through various holes and in, in, in the home or in the housing, then, their urine and their other bodily fluids can contain virus and that virus can aerosolized. And then in this case, unfortunately, she likely, inhaled the virus through the aerosol.
Sometimes it gets into the cuts in the skin, and then you can have a pretty rapid, deteriorating course. So let me ask you about that, because she last left their home in February 11th. last time she sent out communication.
So she goes to the, the pharmacy, and they, they believe she died that day. Now, she was obviously well enough to go to the pharmacy just knowing how this disease progresses, would someone be well enough to do that and look fine on surveillance camera? She didn't look visibly ill and then.
And die that same day. Could it have been such a rapid deterioration and prior to that, would it have just felt like the flu? Or would you have known you were possibly very sick?
Yeah, it can you can jittery very rapidly. And that's one of the reasons why it has, has such a high mortality rate, because it requires intensive care for your heart and lungs. What happens is it begins as a flu like illness with body aches and fever, sometimes, headaches as well.
And you can proceed like that for a couple of days. And once, the virus is, affecting the heart and lungs, it causes pulmonary edema. Your lungs fill up the fluid, it causes inflammation of the heart.
Very severe myocarditis. And at that point, you need to have intensive care. So you can go downhill very, very quickly as a result.
And so, that appears to be what happened. I mean, she was, you know, in the back, who knows, maybe taking her pills for something, maybe thyroid and, and collapsed. And then Gene Hackman at that time, it's another week before he dies.
Now, we do understand he had severe heart disease, but also advanced Alzheimer's disease. and, you know, he was they said he didn't have any food in his stomach. even though he wasn't dehydrated.
I was just trying to imagine, this. And I guess you you would hope that that maybe he did not know that she had died. it has.
Alzheimer's was so advanced. What do you think could have happened? Yeah, it's it's it's hard to, It's hard to put it together.
But one possibility is if he was on important medication for his heart, he wasn't receiving his meds, because she was the sole care provider. or, dehydration from, lack of water or other fluids, starvation and some combination of, of all of those things together. so it's very tragic.
Hantavirus though does occur. And, and we do see a handful of cases. And the only hope for an individual is to get rapid attention and get into an intensive care unit where they can manage very complex heart and lung disease.
Yeah, yeah. And of course, so important to know that the that the milestone exhibit the symptoms. Dogs can't get it right I mean it it's hard to know.
Yeah I mean if you I mean if you go to the New Mexico Health website, it's actually quite good. It has details, about how to avoid having these deer mice, get into your home. and, and what to do with their, their, their, their and how to avoid keeping, dog food and other, pet food away from mice.
And it's a it's it's it's worth a look. All right. Well, Doctor Hotez, thank you very much.
