Authorities on Tuesday released a lengthy investigation report detailing some of the last emails, phone calls and internet searches by Gene Hackman’s wife in the days before her death, indicating that she was scouring for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.
Betsy Arakawa died in February of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a rare, rodent-borne disease that can led to a range of symptoms that include flu-like illness, headaches, dizziness and severe respiratory distress, investigators have said.
Gene Hackman is believed to have died about a week later of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
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The partially mummified remains of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found in their Santa Fe home on February 26, when maintenance and security workers showed up at the home and alerted police.
According to the report released Tuesday, a review of Arakawa's computer showed she was actively researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms between February 8 and the morning of February 12.
The searches included questions about whether COVID could cause dizziness or nosebleeds.
She also had mentioned in an email to her masseuse that Hackman had woken up February 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms but that a COVID test was negative and she would have to reschedule her appointment for the next day “out of an abundance of caution.”
Arakawa's search history also showed a query for a concierge medical service in Santa Fe the morning of February 12.
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A review of her phone records by investigators showed she had a call with the service that lasted less than 2 minutes and missed a return call later that afternoon.
Investigators also reviewed a call history to the Hackmans' home phone along with voicemails and security footage from stores that Arakawa had visited on February 11.
Authorities also released more redacted police body camera footage from inside the home as sheriff's deputies and investigators tried to piece together what had happened to the couple.
Investigators found one of the couple's dogs sitting in the bathroom near Arakawa's body. The officers then walked around the house to where they said Hackman was found dead.
“Two totally separate areas of the house,” an officer comments.
“Mhm, it’s strange,” another responds.
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The officers, worried about a possible gas leak, then begin opening doors and windows around the house. Subsequent testing showed there were no leaks.
The footage shows them going through rooms of the home and finding nothing out of the ordinary and no signs of forced entry, with the couple’s art collection still adorning shelves and walls throughout.
The investigators also can be seen counting cash that was found around the home and looking at the prescription medication on the bathroom counter as one of the couple’s dog barked in the background.
The footage, photos and reports were being released as the result of a recent court order that mandated any depictions of the deceased couple would have to be blocked from view.
All photos, video and documents from the investigation had been restricted from release by an earlier, temporary court order.
The Hackman estate and family members had sought to keep the records sealed to protect the family’s constitutional right to privacy.
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A report by the New Mexico Department of Health showed an environmental assessment of the Hackman property found rodent feces in several outbuildings and live traps on the property. The inside of the home was clean, with no evidence of rodent activity.
Nestled among the piñon and juniper hills overlooking Santa Fe, the Hackman home is not unlike others in the area as mice are common within the surrounding landscape.
One of the couple’s three dogs also was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, while two other dogs were found alive. A state veterinary lab tied the dog’s death to dehydration and starvation.
An attorney for the estate, Kurt Sommer, argued during a hearing last month that the couple had taken great pains to stay out of the public light during their lifetimes and that the right to control the use of their names and likenesses should extend to their estate in death.
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