Gene Hackman’s wife Arakawa researched Covid symptoms days before her death

Newly released investigation records have shed light on the final days of veteran actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Authorities disclosed emails, phone logs, and internet searches showing Arakawa was worried about flu-like symptoms before her death from hantavirus.

Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease spread by rodents. Gene Hackman, aged 95, died roughly a week later from heart disease complicated by Alzheimer’s. Their partially mummified bodies were found on 26 February in their Santa Fe home by maintenance workers who alerted the police.

According to the newly released report, Arakawa had been searching online for information on Covid-19, dizziness, and flu-like symptoms between 8 and 12 February. In one email to her massage therapist, she wrote that Hackman had shown signs of illness but tested negative for Covid-19. She said she was cancelling an appointment “out of an abundance of caution.”


Phone records show Arakawa tried to contact a concierge medical service on the morning of 12 February. Investigators also checked security footage from local stores and reviewed voicemails and incoming calls to the couple's landline.

Police bodycam footage — redacted to protect the couple’s dignity — showed a thorough search of the home. One of the couple’s dogs was found alive beside Arakawa’s body; another was found dead nearby, having died of dehydration and starvation. A third dog survived.
Rodent droppings were found in outbuildings but not inside the home. Despite the couple’s efforts to remain private, the records were released following a court order.