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Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on February 26, alongside one of their pet dogs.
Hackman’s cause of death was determined to be hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease listed as a contributing factor. Dr. Jarrell noted that his pacemaker stopped recording cardiac activity on February 18, which is considered the likely date of his passing.
However, Arakawa’s doctor has now come forward with a claim that her death must have occurred later than initially believed, stating that she called him on February 12.
Dr. Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist who runs Cloudberry Health near the couple’s Santa Fe, New Mexico, home, told the Daily Mail: “Mrs. Hackman didn’t die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12.”
If this claim is accurate, it would suggest that Arakawa was alive at least 24 hours longer than the coroner’s conclusion indicated.
Dr. Child added, “I’m not a hantavirus expert, but most patients diagnosed with it typically die in the hospital.
“It’s surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on both February 10 and February 12 and didn’t show any signs of respiratory distress.”
Hackman’s pacemaker, meanwhile, revealed that he likely died on February 18, the date it stopped showing activity.
His postmortem found that while he did not have any food in his stomach at the time of his death, he did not appear to be dehydrated.
Officers attending the home noted that besides Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies, the property was otherwise clean and organized, and potential carbon monoxide poisoning was quickly ruled out as a cause of their deaths.
Santa Fe County Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell noted that due to Hackman’s Alzheimer’s, “it is quite possible he was not aware that [Arakawa] was deceased” for several days until his own passing.
Hackman’s pacemaker, meanwhile, indicated that he likely died on February 18, the date it stopped recording activity.
His postmortem revealed that while he had no food in his stomach at the time of death, he did not appear to be dehydrated.
Officers who attended the scene noted that, aside from Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies, the property was otherwise clean and organized, and carbon monoxide poisoning was quickly ruled out as a cause of death.
Santa Fe County Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell pointed out that, due to Hackman’s Alzheimer’s, “it is quite possible he was not aware that [Arakawa] was deceased” for several days until his own passing.
The couple’s 12-year-old Australian kelpie mix dog was also found dead in a crate inside a closet near the bathroom where Arakawa’s body was discovered. It is believed to have died from starvation and dehydration.
Their other two dogs, Bear and Nikita, survived as they were allowed to roam freely around the property. One of the dogs led first responders to the couple’s bodies when they arrived at the home.
