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

[Gemmie]

Arakawa had picked up the kelpie mix named Zinna from Gruda Veterinary Hospital on Feb. 9 after a procedure was done, according to the sheriff. He said the hospital visit might help explain why the dog was found dead. A necropsy is being done on Zinna to determine the cause of death, he said.

A timeline of how actor Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa died at their New Mexico home

Authorities have revealed that actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease, and his wife died of hantavirus

abcnews.go.com

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Interesting article with small tidbits of new information.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1898667619865006113

Thank you for this article. They searched the house for thirty minutes and didn't find Gene! That is crazy. Either the house is bigger than I imagined or the floor plan is not straightforward. Thank goodness for the dog!

 

[NuttMegg]

Thank you for this article. They searched the house for thirty minutes and didn't find Gene! That is crazy. Either the house is bigger than I imagined or the floor plan is not straightforward. Thank goodness for the dog!

No kidding. I couldn't believe that. Plus they had to know someone was "missing".

 

[Gemmie]

"The staff instructed her to confine Zinna to a crate, to keep her from running around and undoing the effects of the surgery, Gruda said."

Gene Hackman cause of death released

New Mexico investigators are releasing the cause of death for legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.

www.usatoday.com

From your article (since I didn't know this and others might not as well).

On Feb. 9 Arakawa picked up their dog Zinna from a veterinary hospital. Zinna was a 12-year-old reddish Australian Kelpie mixed-breed who had once trained in agility skills to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Gene Hackman cause of death released

New Mexico investigators are releasing the cause of death for legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.

www.usatoday.com

 

[ClearAhead]

It was possibly not ready then, but something that the vet had to order in. It's not clear when they were expecting her to pick it up. Maybe it still wasn't in stock on the 11th.

Yes possibly. The significance of the medication would probably depend on the type of surgery. I notice only USA Today described it as ‘major surgery’.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

My friend had an interesting idea today about where Betsy may have contacted hantavirus -- we have a big problem in SF with mice getting into our cars. My husband checks our car engine regularly and cleans out the nests. It would be possible to have mice in your car, and if you weren't driving a lot, I wonder if the virus could build up in the car or pass through the heating vents? -- I still think the stored crate in an outbuilding makes a lot of sense, but I do wish LE would investigate more to try and determine the source of the virus.

This is certainly a possibility. I know, when living in Florida, I had many mice nests in my engine area. And chewed wires and other things. I could never really figure this out when there was pretty much natural vegetation available year round....

Based on what you indicate is your husband's regular activity. of cleaning out the engines... I bet this activity has increased by 1000% since this announcement about the hantavirus.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

My dog ripped out stitches as soon as she was put in a crate while the vet was waiting for me to pick her up, less than 20 minutes. Groggy into the cage to wrecking the stitched leg incision.

Imo depending on where the incision is, crating could very well protect a dog from wrecking a non- leg wound.

So that's my opinion, no crating for a dog with leg wound.

She got the dog as a rescue, and she apparently went through lots of training with Zinna.... I know that crating is very common for all training of dogs... not just puppies! My guess the vet and Betsy knew this was both calming and good for her post operation.

 

[Cherwell]

My friend had an interesting idea today about where Betsy may have contacted hantavirus -- we have a big problem in SF with mice getting into our cars. My husband checks our car engine regularly and cleans out the nests. It would be possible to have mice in your car, and if you weren't driving a lot, I wonder if the virus could build up in the car or pass through the heating vents? -- I still think the stored crate in an outbuilding makes a lot of sense, but I do wish LE would investigate more to try and determine the source of the virus.

It may not be easy as it can take up to two months after exposure for symptoms to appear.

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[NuttMegg]

Del by me

 

[JTribley]

I had a neighbor who got hantavirus. They went to stay at a cabin and used a fan from the closet. The fan had dust on it and that is where she picked it up. She was sick for years from it; like long-term lung disease and fatigue. I wonder how many days from the 11th Betsy lived but suffered. I imagine she thought she could beat this “illness”, not knowing how sick she really was. I also had a neighbor who was only 25 and died in his sleep from pneumonia. He was out mowing is lawn the night prior and said he didn’t feel well. They said say he didn’t have the strength to sit up in bed and basically drowned from the fluid in his lungs. You just don’t know how quickly this can take you.

My sister had a terrible cold / Fever that literally started Dec 23rd, by the time she called a Doc to her house as she felt so sick, on the evening of the 24th - she had fluid in one of her lungs. Pneumonia could have fully settled in overnight. She remembers having a bad pain in her chest, which is what made her call a Doc (as it was in the middle of the night…) and some Doctor’s still do house calls here in Jamaica. There was a bad flu going around, and I recall us all talking about the symptoms…that might have saved her. As for hantavirus, we do not have that here. Obviously you have to be careful with the mice population, but I have never heard of anyone getting any mouse-rat related disease here…yet they are “out there” I am sure. The first time I ever heard about hantavirus was right here on this forum, when the Sleuther (cannot remember handle) posted about it.

 

[Kudzuu]

I've posted way too much on this and must let go -- but I think it grabs me over and over because of the irony. More than anything Betsy and Gene wanted privacy, and by pursuing this to an extreme, they've ended up in the very thing they dreaded. Media hoopla. If Betsy had allowed a caregiver into their lives, one or both of them would have passed quietly with no media frenzy. I hope their deaths serve a purpose in alerting people to hantavirus, caregiver obsession with no backup, the dangers of isolation, directives for our pets, and the importance of community and friendship, especially as we age . . .etc.

Yes. And this is the reason I think the press conference was so respectful, thorough and premeditated.

 

[ClearAhead]

Yes. And this is the reason I think the press conference was so respectful, thorough and premeditated.

Yes it was highly respectful and sensitive, even toward the surviving family members. Although a couple of investigative results are still outstanding, it shut down insinuations that foul play was involved by those who stood to financially gain.

JMO

 

[NuttMegg]

You know, I watched you today,” Costner remembered him saying, “And I went through a divorce about three years ago, and I’ve been doing a lot of movies trying to pay for this divorce. And I didn’t feel about acting the way I felt for a long time… I watched you today — I used to feel like that. I was really happy to see you do that.”

Kevin Costner's unforgettable conversation with Gene Hackman

Kevin Costner got to work with Gene Hackman on the 1987 thriller 'No Way Out,' and it seems that both men got a lot out of the experience.

faroutmagazine.co.uk

 

[Friday Fan]

I know hantavirus is uncommon. I wonder if Betsy's case is "one off" or if this is the beginning of an outbreak?

Stats are available here: What appears to be fairly recent outbreaks were in 2017 and 2014.

Reported Cases of Hantavirus Disease

Find out about reported cases of hantavirus in the U.S. and where it occurs most frequently.

www.cdc.gov

The 1993 outbreak was particularly bad, but it was also when the disease was first identified. That outbreak was highlighted in a Forensic Files episode. It started with a young woman, her husband and their infant son. There were 18 cases in NM that year.

I wonder if precautionary measures since the 1993 outbreak has helped?

 

[Friday Fan]

I don't think, at least not in my experience, that a person with advanced ALZ would think to put on sunglasses to go outside.

It indicates to me that he was sane enough to have them handy for up to a week, and to use them at all. That, and staying hydrated. I'm on the side of the fence with those who think she lived beyond 11 feb, or he would have lost his sunglasses by 16-17 feb. Which is when, imo, he fell.

I think the sunglasses may have been a habit. I don't read much into it. The sunglasses, cap and cane were likely already in the mudroom and may have been part of a "routine".

See pic:

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Seen in Last Photos Taken During Rare Outing Nearly 1 Year Before Their Deaths

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were last pictured heading to dinner together in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2024. The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe home alongside their dog on Wednesday, Feb. 26, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.

people.com

 

[Friday Fan]

I wish media would have asked what BH was wearing when they found her.

She was wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants. Even the colors were given.

This was from last week's press conference.

Arakawa was on the ground, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. An opened orange prescription bottle and scattered pills were seen on a countertop near Arakawa, the warrant says.

Gene Hackman's and wife Betsy Arakawa's cause of death revealed. Here's what we know.

Gene Hackman died of heart disease and Betsy Arakawa's cause of death was hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, officials said.

www.cbsnews.com

 

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[Joe Friday]

Why? I'm pretty sure one article stated what they were both wearing. He was wearing track pants, slippers and a long sleeved t-shirt I believe. I think it mentioned she was also casually dressed in a similar fashion.
EDIT: I found the article. She was wearing sweat pants and a sweat shirt.

Gene Hackman's and wife Betsy Arakawa's cause of death revealed. Here's what we know.

Gene Hackman died of heart disease and Betsy Arakawa's cause of death was hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, officials said.

www.cbsnews.com

A lot of discussion about when BA may have passed.

I think one way to perhaps pin point how long she was alive after the evening of the 11th could be determined by her clothing.

There was video of her at the various places she stopped on the 11th before going home. It should be easy to determine what outfit she was wearing at that time from those video's.

1. Was she still wearing the same cloths as in the video when she was found or did she change her clothing?
2. If she changed, where in the house is the clothing she was wearing when she was out and about on the 11th?
3. If they are in a dirty cloths hamper, how many sets of cloths are on top of the set of cloths she was seen wearing on the 11th?
4. Did she do any laundry? (If she was feeling sick I doubt it)
5. Were the cloths she was seen wearing on the 11th perhaps in the washer, dryer, folded up or put away already in a drawer or closet?

This would maybe give some idea of how many times BA changed her cloths and maybe how many days BA may have been alive after arriving home on the evening of the 11th.



JMO

 

[al66pine]

Clothing as Possible Clue to Date of Death.

A lot of discussion about when BA may have passed.

I think one way to perhaps pin point how long she was alive after the evening of the 11th could be determined by her clothing.

There was video of her at the various places she stopped on the 11th before going home. It should be easy to determine what outfit she was wearing at that time from those video's.

1. Was she still wearing the same cloths as in the video when she was found or did she change her clothing?
2. If she changed, where in the house is the clothing she was wearing when she was out and about on the 11th?
3. If they are in a dirty cloths hamper, how many sets of cloths are on top of the set of cloths she was seen wearing on the 11th?
4. Did she do any laundry? (If she was feeling sick I doubt it)
5. Were the cloths she was seen wearing on the 11th perhaps in the washer, dryer, folded up or put away already in a drawer or closet?

This would maybe give some idea of how many times BA changed her cloths and maybe how many days BA may have been alive after arriving home on the evening of the 11th.

JMO

@Joe Friday Excellent thinking. Could further pinpoint time of death.

Just speaking generally, is it possible that after the errands outing that a person in her condition may have been totally overwhelmed? Fatigued, achy, fever, & other symptoms.
Maybe more or less on a sofa or recliner for a day, a couple days?
Only able to navigate to kitchen to grab a snack & water? Bathroom breaks?
Maybe furnishing Mr. H. similar food, for a day or so? DItto w bathroom breaks.
If so, for multiple days, she may have been in SAME CLOTHING as on Feb 11 errand day.

Alternatively she may have had DUPLICATE outfits, say 3-4-5 sets of gray sweatpants & sweatshirts. After all, she & Mr. H were not prepping to be on the red carpet at a gala.
BTW, don't ask me how I know someone w outfits like this, who wears them around the house, almost like a seasonal uniform lol.

Well, there's likely more merit to the ^ check-the-laundry-basket-and-more idea than these other possibilities. Glad to read alternatives to some "out-there" thoughts I've had.

Thx for your post.

 

[Warwick7]

A lot of discussion about when BA may have passed.

I think one way to perhaps pin point how long she was alive after the evening of the 11th could be determined by her clothing.

There was video of her at the various places she stopped on the 11th before going home. It should be easy to determine what outfit she was wearing at that time from those video's.

1. Was she still wearing the same cloths as in the video when she was found or did she change her clothing?
2. If she changed, where in the house is the clothing she was wearing when she was out and about on the 11th?
3. If they are in a dirty cloths hamper, how many sets of cloths are on top of the set of cloths she was seen wearing on the 11th?
4. Did she do any laundry? (If she was feeling sick I doubt it)
5. Were the cloths she was seen wearing on the 11th perhaps in the washer, dryer, folded up or put away already in a drawer or closet?

This would maybe give some idea of how many times BA changed her cloths and maybe how many days BA may have been alive after arriving home on the evening of the 11th.



JMO

Thank you. This is where my mind was going when I asked about the clothes. You said it more eloquently than I was thinking it.