New Mexico authorities said on March 7 that the criminal investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa will continue until remaining “loopholes” are closed, after confirming that the couple died of natural causes.
Hackman 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead Feb. 26 in their Santa Fe home by investigators.
Arakawa was determined to have died from the effects of a hantavirus infection and Hackman of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s, but the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has not closed its criminal investigation. Data from cell phones and Hackman’s pacemaker are incomplete.
“We are waiting on the cellphones, but it would be very unlikely that the cellphones are going to show anything else,” Sheriff Adan Mendoza said at a news conference on March 7.
Arakawa, who was 30 years younger than Hackman, was the actor’s caregiver and is believed to have died on Feb. 11, before his death. Hackman may not have been aware that his wife was dead.
“A person can die very quickly, within 24 to 48 hours, roughly speaking, without medical treatment,” Jarrell said. “It’s not uncommon to find someone down on the floor as part of a terminal collapse, so to speak, and that may very well have been what happened.”
Although the sheriff’s office previously ruled out foul play and carbon monoxide poisoning, when a reporter asked about the criminal investigation and body camera video footage, Mendoza said body cam footage would be released according to the law.
“We consider this an open investigation until we close the loopholes of the cellphones, until we finish out the necropsy results of the canine and other loose ends that we need to tie up,” Mendoza added.
The pet dog that was found in a crate likely died of starvation and is not believed to have been infected with a hantavirus.
Jarrell was asked whether there is a concern about a bigger public health issue.
“The CDC is aware of this case,” Jarrell said. “Hantavirus is a notifiable condition nationally. All hantavirus cases are notified to them. This is not an unusual case. We get cases every year, unfortunately. We’re not seeing any indications of any abnormal or unusual patterns.”
Hackman is known for being a five-time Oscar nominee and for winning best actor in “The French Connection” in 1972. He also won best actor in a supporting role for “Unforgiven” and had supporting roles in many acclaimed films, including “The Conversation,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” and “Hoosiers.”
“He was in a very poor state of health,” Jarrell said. “He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that is what resulted in his death. I was able to look at fluid to determine if he was dehydrated, and I did not see evidence of dehydration. I did see evidence of very poor kidney function.”
