The residence where Hollywood icon Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa tragically died in February was reportedly infested with rats carrying a deadly disease, it has emerged. The couple were discovered dead along with one of their dogs at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26.
Sheriff of Santa Fe in New Mexico, US, revealed in a press conference last month that two-time Oscar winner Hackman, 95, was likely alone with his wife’s body for a week before he himself passed away.
Post-mortem examinations revealed that Ms Arakawa, also known as Betsy Hackman, aged 65, succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a rare but potentially fatal disease transmitted to humans through infected rodent droppings or saliva.
A pathologist stated that Hackman died of heart disease a week after Arakawa passed away from the rare infectious disease.
A health assessment conducted by the New Mexico Department of Public Health a week after the bodies were found identified dead rodents and their nests in ‘eight detached outbuildings’ on the Hackman property, making it a ‘breeding ground’ for the lethal hantavirus, according to TMZ.
The deadly hantavirus typically spreads through rodent urine and droppings that one may come into contact with when cleaning a basement or an attic. Droppings were found in three garages, two casitas, and three sheds on the property, reports the Mirror.
According to a US report, inspectors found a live rodent, a dead one and a rodent nest in three additional garages on the property. The health check was conducted to ensure the safety of first responders or others who might visit the property due to the virus.
The results showed that the main residence was categorised as ‘low-risk’, with no signs of rodent infestation inside. The hantavirus was first identified in South Korea in 1978 when scientists isolated the virus from a field mouse.
The virus is rare in the US, with fewer than 50 cases reported each year. To give some context, around 2,000 cases of West Nile Virus are reported in the US annually.
However, after Ms Arakawa’s death, the virus claimed three more lives in Mammoth Lakes, California.
Dr Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, stated at a press conference in Santa Fe in March that it was “reasonable to conclude” that Ms Hackman died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome on February 11 at the couple’s home in Santa Fe.
Hackman passed away a week later on February 18 due to “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor”, according to the expert.
When asked if this meant the actor had been at home with his deceased wife for seven days until he himself died, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza responded: “Yes, I would assume that that is the case.”
Dr Jarrell stated: “Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease. He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that is what resulted in his in his death.”
The body of Hackman was discovered in a mud room, while his wife was found lying on the bathroom floor, as previously reported by detectives. Last month, Mr Mendoza revealed that Ms Arakawa had collected their dog Xena from the vet on February 9.
The dog was later found dead alongside the couple.
“There was a procedure that was done with the dog, which may explain why the dog was in a crate at the residence,” Mr Mendoza informed the press conference. CCTV footage showed Ms Arakawa’s car at around 4.54pm on February 11, and the remote control clicker assigned to her and her vehicle was used to enter the gated community, added the sheriff.
He further explained: “At 5.15pm, numerous emails were unopened on her computer on February 11. There was no additional outgoing communication from her or known activity after February 11.”
Tests conducted on Hackman’s pacemaker previously indicated that he was alive on February 17 when a “last event” was recorded, nine days before the bodies of him and his wife were discovered.
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Dr Jarrell informed the media at a press conference: “Mr Hackman’s initial pacemaker data revealed cardiac activity on February 17, with subsequent pacemaker interrogation demonstrating an abnormal rhythm of atrial fibrillation on February 18, which was the last record of heart activity.
“Based on this information, it is reasonable to conclude that Mr Hackman probably died around February 18. Based on the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that Ms Hackman passed away first with February 11 being the last time that she was known to be alive.
“Lastly, clinically, hantavirus infection is characterised by flu-like symptoms consisting of fever, muscle aches, cough, and sometimes vomiting that can progress to shortness of breath and cardiac or heart failure and lung failure.”