The Hollywood star’s death has rocked the world after Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at his lavish home in New Mexico – and the police have given a new update
The police have given a new update surrounding the investigation around Gene Hackman and his wife’s death.
The Hollywood star, 95, and his long-term partner Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead at their home in New Mexico, and officials are trying to get to the bottom of it.
On Friday (March 7), local police have delivered a new update as fans have been eager to find out what really happened to that star after a string of theories have been floating around.
Officials have declared that Betsy died from a natural deaths, with Gene also showing symptoms of significant cardiovascular disease and advanced Alzheimer’s.
They also predicted Betsy passed away first a week before her husband, according to the results of the investigation. However, according to the officials, Gene may not have been aware of her passing due to his Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Gene was on his own in the home for several days, or even an entire week, after his wife died – and it was unclear whether he could’ve survived on his own, as they were “not aware of his normal daily functioning capability”.
Dr Heather Jarrell of the New Mexico Medical Investigator’s Office said he had “significant heart disease, and ultimately that’s what resulted in his death. Its quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased.”
Jarrell also performed an autopsy on Betsy on 27 February and she found that her cause of death was “natural” and was caused by hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a disease which is carried by infected rodents. But it did likely happen on February 11, a week before Gene passed.
Gene is suspected to have died around 18 February, the medical examiner claimed. The doctor said: “There is no reliable method to accurately determine [his] exact time of death.”
She also added that his pacemaker stopped recording any cardiac activity around the day of 18 February, which leads officials to predict this was the time of his death.
The couple’s bodies were allegedly showing signs of decomposition and were partially mummified after being left for a while without being found.
Previously, Sante Fe Police revealed said that the famous actor was found dead in his property;s mud room, alongside his cane and sunglasses, whereas Betsy was discovered lying on the bathroom floor with prescription pills nearby.
There were theories going around about a potential suicide pact, but those rumours have been debunked as couples are usually found next to one another.
Connecticut’s Chief Medical Examiner, James Gill told People that it is “not likely” the pair took their own lives together after explaining: “I’ve seen cases like that – usually they’re together in bed. The fact that they’re in two separate locations tells me that I think that’s less likely.
“From the initial kind of circumstances, it seems like he may have collapsed — he’s got a history of heart disease. He’s got a pacemaker. So that would not be unusual.”
The expert also dismissed the theory that Gene could’ve died from dehydration if Betsy passed away before him, but as the star was not bedridden and was still mobile, this didn’t add up either.
The police also shared the details of their movements be fore their deaths, sharing that Betsy picked up one of her dogs, Zinna, who was also found dead, following a procedure it had undergone just days before.
The cause of death for the dog found dead in the home is still to be determined.
During their investigation, they found that there was a low risk of exposure to hantavirus in the household but there were signs of rodent entry into the building. The disease can be transmitted to humans by urine, saliva, faeces and physical contact with infected rodents, the officials explained at the conference.
During the end of the hearing, the coroner added that it remains difficult to conclude that Hackman died of a heart attack, but says he could’ve had an abnormal heart rhythm, and suffered from extensive heart disease.
The case remains open as police continue to tie up loose ends as the police department are determined to answer all unanswered questions and discrepancies.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
