Gene Hackman dead at 95: Iconic actor and wife, 63, are found dead with their dog at Santa Fe home. #3

[IceIce9]

I first heard about hantavirus while hiking with my dad in Zion Canyon in southwestern Utah back in the ‘90s. It was in the news there because there had been a death from someone who had been hiking in the desert and had contracted hantavirus.

 

[branmuffin]

I first heard about hantavirus while hiking with my dad in Zion Canyon in southwestern Utah back in the ‘90s. It was in the news there because there had been a death from someone who had been hiking in the desert and had contracted hantavirus.

The first time my husband and I drove through the deserts in New Mexico and Arizona a park ranger told us a couple of things. One, was have tons of water, second was don't pet the animals (kidding of course) and third was many animals have hantavirus and bubonic plague. Nearly every year people die in the southwest of the plague even though it can be successfully treated with quick diagnosis and antibiotics.

 

[IceIce9]

It’s no wonder that Gene and Betsy kept their life private and out of the public eye.

Would you really want to see Gene with advanced Alzheimer’s having his picture on the cover of the tabloid?

 

[Fabled Automatic]

LE must still think establishing a timeline pertaining to when BA may have died is important and relevant if they are still investigating and awaiting cell phone records and the result of the dogs autopsy. If it wasn't relevant why go to the trouble of investigating at all?

What information LE releases to the public that is up to them. LE didn't need to go into details at the presser when BA's last outgoing communications was among other things but they did. Are you also saying LE didn't need to release that information to the public as well?

I agree that establishing a timeline is important. I do not think it is important to know how soiled and unkempt Gene was in the days before he passed away. If that came out about a loved one of mine I would be extremely upset.

 

[Cherwell]

Establishing who died first may well be important depending on their wills. It's usually accepted that where there is doubt, the elder person died first, but in this case it seems unlikely.

 

[NuttMegg]

The first time my husband and I drove through the deserts in New Mexico and Arizona a park ranger told us a couple of things. One, was have tons of water, second was don't pet the animals (kidding of course) and third was many animals have hantavirus and bubonic plague. Nearly every year people die in the southwest of the plague even though it can be successfully treated with quick diagnosis and antibiotics.

I think that same deer mouse referred to at the presser can have plague as well as HV

 

[IceIce9]

Anyone who has ever been around a person with advanced Alzheimer’s would understand that it is possible Gene might not have even understood that Betsy was dead.

There can be food in the refrigerator and a person with advanced Alzheimer’s might not remember that food is kept there, or might have forgotten how to open the refrigerator.

 

[ClearAhead]

LE must still think establishing a timeline pertaining to when BA may have died is important and relevant if they are still investigating and awaiting cell phone records and the result of the dogs autopsy. If it wasn't relevant why go to the trouble of investigating at all?

What information LE releases to the public that is up to them. LE didn't need to go into details at the presser when BA's last outgoing communications was among other things but they did. Are you also saying LE didn't need to release that information to the public as well?

Possibly they are awaiting for this information to confirm the information already released in order to officially conclude the investigation. Clearly they’re not expecting it to be contradictory or they wouldn’t have yet held the update.

Mentioning the footprints of life during the update prevents someone from contacting the media with, for example “I Saw Betsy in town on the 11th, there was nothing wrong with her. Something isn’t right here!”

I’d be very surprised if a timeline beyond what’s already stated is released to the public. There’s no way to determine what’s unknown and it just opens up even more needless speculation. Look at where we are, the causes of deaths were announced but some people still aren’t satisfied. JMO

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

I believe dry conditions (such as where they lived) make it so much worse - cleaning up dry mice poop that becomes a dusty airborne inhalant as an example. I’m not saying that’s what she was doing to get it but it makes sense to me. imo

This is absolutely correct. If you look at the US map, hantavirus is more of an issue in the west and southwest. And I now know that wetting the mouse droppings is rule # 1, as cleaning that way seems to stop the virus particles from being so airborne.

 

[ClearAhead]

Anyone who has ever been around a person with advanced Alzheimer’s would understand that it is possible Gene might not have even understood that Betsy was dead.

There can be food in the refrigerator and a person with advanced Alzheimer’s might not remember that food is kept there, or might have forgotten how to open the refrigerator.

So true and if anything positive comes out of this tragedy, it might be increasing the understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease. As our lifespan increases along with our parents and other older relatives, chances are it will touch on our lives as some point.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11095490/#:~:text=75%20%2C%2076%20%2C%2077-,Age,dementia%20(see%20Prevalence%20section).

Age is the greatest of these three risk factors. The percentage of people with Alzheimer's dementia increases dramatically with age. Five percent of people age 65 to 74, 13.2% of people age 75 to 84, and 33.4% of people age 85 or older have Alzheimer's dementia (see Prevalence section).

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Establishing who died first may well be important depending on their wills. It's usually accepted that where there is doubt, the elder person died first, but in this case it seems unlikely.

Good point. Legally, it is very important.

 

[Joe Friday]

I agree that establishing a timeline is important. I do not think it is important to know how soiled and unkempt Gene was in the days before he passed away. If that came out about a loved one of mine I would be extremely upset.

I was merely suggesting some information may be obtained by the condition of Gene's clothing to see possibly how long after Feb 11th it had been since BA had passed. Just another tool for investigators. I doubt information pertaining to when Gene last bathed and the condition of Gene's soiled clothing would be made public.

If Gene was still able to take care of himself in these ways, I think Gene would have likely known BA was deceased if he had come upon her body and maybe even been able to call for help, if he was that capable. But we know he didn't do that. Is that because BA was alive and caring for Gene until perhaps only a short time before Gene himself passed and Gene didn't realize BA had passed because he never came upon her lying on the floor? Or through Gene's medical records could it be determined that Gene would not have comprehended what had transpired if he came upon BA deceased and that is likely why there was no call for help?

JMO

 

[JDG]

Establishing who died first may well be important depending on their wills. It's usually accepted that where there is doubt, the elder person died first, but in this case it seems unlikely.

Usually, one person has to outlive the other by 30 days.
Not applicable here, should be considered to have died together.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Usually, one person has to outlive the other by 30 days.
Not applicable here, should be considered to have died together.

Apparently not true in NM. Spouse who outlives the other by 120 hours in the heir. 5 days! The timeline would have to be as clear as possible, since a lot could be at stake.

 

[Magnum P.E.]

Well, when I heard that three were deceased in an enclosed area in the winter, I assumed carbon monoxide poisoning. This was one case where Occam’s Razor failed us. I would bet this case is studied in forensic investigation courses in the future.
Sheriff’s Department really handled this one thoroughly.

 

[slowpoke]

I first heard about hantavirus while hiking with my dad in Zion Canyon in southwestern Utah back in the ‘90s. It was in the news there because there had been a death from someone who had been hiking in the desert and had contracted hantavirus.

I first heard about it in the news when the cases happened in Yosemite’s Curry Village tent cabins. This was back in 2012.

This article is long, but gives a lot of detail on the illness, and how quickly it can get extremely bad. It’s an article from 2012, so I’m not sure if the research is up to date, but a few quotes:

“Human infection most commonly happens in confined spaces like houses, cabins, or storage areas, but it’s got to happen within 48 hours of the mouse shedding the virus—researchers have, so far, seen hantavirus survive for only two days outside a host.”
—-
“symptoms included “a simple cold, a sudden fever—then trouble breathing and an immediate downhill course.””
—-
“Even if they’d known, there wasn’t much more to be done. There is no known cure. The best that doctors can do is hook up a patient to a ventilator and let the body fight the virus on its own. The fortunate, like Lindsey, recover. But many are not fortunate.”

(Excuse if this link has been posted here before. Thread is so long, I may have missed it.)

Death at Yosemite

The outbreak, which killed three, didn’t only attack the lungs of its victims. It messed with the psyche of the rest of us, too.

www.outsideonline.com

 

[IceIce9]

Apparently not true in NM. Spouse who outlives the other by 120 hours in the heir. 5 days! The timeline would have to be as clear as possible, since a lot could be at stake.

But is that really the business of the general public? I think we have learned everything we need to know from the investigation report that was released.

JMO

 

[formerreddingrunner]

FWIW, when the facts come out, I've learned: I was wayyyy off with some of my initial theories.

Namely, I was very critical of the 3 adult children *not calling* Gene. However, since it's now known the Gene had advanced Alzheimer's, calling Gene wouldn't have really been calling Gene, if that makes sense.

Perhaps BA even told them not to call? One can only speculate."We'll call you with any bad news." something like that.

With BA's hantavirus diagnosis, who could've seen that tragedy coming?

MOO.

 

[Cherwell]

Well, when I heard that three were deceased in an enclosed area in the winter, I assumed carbon monoxide poisoning. This was one case where Occam’s Razor failed us. I would bet this case is studied in forensic investigation courses in the future.
Sheriff’s Department really handled this one thoroughly.

It wasn't something I thought of.
My Occam's Razor was Betsy dying suddenly of something instant like a heart attack, aneurysm etc, and then Gene dying because he fell and had no one to help him up, or some similar misadventure.

I wasn't far out, although I'd never heard of hantavirus and it seems it takes a few days before it's fatal. But she probably wrote it off as a flu virus and thought she would recover.

 

[doublestop]

What information LE releases to the public that is up to them. LE didn't need to go into details at the presser when BA's last outgoing communications was among other things but they did. Are you also saying LE didn't need to release that information to the public as well?

Releasing when Betsy's las communication was does not take away any of their dignity in death. Released whether her husband soiled himself does.