The official autopsy report for actor Gene Hackman—released two months after he and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26—stated that heart disease was the leading cause of his death.
The autopsy, first reported by media outlets on April 27, also revealed that Hackman, 95, was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and had likely not eaten for an extended period before his death.
It is believed that Hackman died about a week after his 65-year-old wife succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
The autopsy report said that Hackman suffered from congestive heart failure, noting he had experienced congestive heart failure, an aortic valve replacement, and an irregular heartbeat.
He received a pacemaker in April 2019, which recorded an abnormal heart rhythm on Feb. 18—the day authorities believe he died.
The report states that Hackman’s carbon monoxide levels were less than 5 percent saturation, considered normal.
He tested negative for hantavirus, the rare rodent-borne illness that claimed Arakawa’s life. Toxicology results found no alcohol or intoxicating drugs in his system, but did show a low concentration of acetone, which the report says indicates he had not eaten for some time.
On the morning of Feb. 12, she searched for a concierge medical provider in Santa Fe and made a brief call to the service, but missed a return call later that day.
In an email to her massage therapist, Arakawa explained that Hackman had woken up on Feb. 11 with cold or flu symptoms, but a COVID-19 test was negative. She wrote that she would need to reschedule her appointment “out of an abundance of caution.”
The couple’s bodies were discovered by maintenance and security workers, who found Hackman and Arakawa in separate areas of their home. Police body camera footage shows officers searching the house for evidence, reviewing prescription medications, and noting that the home and the couple’s art collection were undisturbed.
Officers also found one of the couple’s three dogs dead in a bathroom near Arakawa’s body. A state veterinary lab later determined the dog died from dehydration and starvation. Two other dogs were found alive.
A report from the New Mexico Department of Health found rodent droppings in outbuildings on the property and live traps, but no evidence of rodents inside the house, which was described as clean. The home, located among the piñon and juniper hills near Santa Fe, is in an area where mice are common.
The release of the autopsy and investigation materials followed a court order, after the Hackman estate and family members sought to keep the records private. Media organizations agreed not to disseminate or show images of the couple’s bodies in the released materials.
