Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman’s The causes of death have been discovered From Santa Fe, New Mexico officials Friday, but Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that the investigation into the case remains ongoing.
At a press conference held more than a week after the couple’s bodies were discovered in their home on February 26, the main medical investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell announced that Gene’s cause of death was hypertensive atherosclerosis of the cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant factor that contributes. She confirmed that Betsy died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, illness transmitted from animals to people usually found in rodents.
Jarrell said it was “reasonable to conclude” that Betsy, 65, died on February 11 or around February 11, while Gene, 95, was probably in the house for about a week, until he died about 18 February, which was the last time the activity was recorded on his lady.
Gene Hackman Time Death Research: Detectives working ‘backwards’ to determine how the couple died
While Mendoza said he thought he “answered a lot of questions,” he stated that the authorities would continue the investigation because they were waiting for the Hackmans mobile phone records, as well as the results of the necropsy leading to the Zinn couple, which was also found in the house.
“We think this is an open investigation until we close the cell phones, until we are completed by the results of the necropsy of the canines and the other loose areas we need to bind,” he said during a press conference.
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman’s causes of death were discovered, but Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that the investigation was ongoing. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“But, you know, I think we are quite close to the time lane is information provided by Dr. Jarrell,” Mendoza added.
The detectives cited two cell phones among the items they took from home, according to the search list for the fox News Digital.
During the press conference, Mendoza said he thought it was “very little probably” that the records of cell phones would discover anything other than what the authorities had already determined in connection with the time of death.
Mendoza also confirmed that there was no evidence that Gene had communicated with anyone while he was A week for a week In the house after Betsy’s death.
“I don’t know if he used his cell phones or technology or e -hasty, no indication for that,” he told reporters. “So there is currently no activity from Mr. Hackman.”
Mendoza said investigators are waiting for records from cell phones and the results of the necropsy carried out on the dog pair, which was also found dead. (Derek shook for Fox News Digital)
Mendoza also provided the time strip of Betsy’s activities and communications that led until February 11, the last day that is known to be alive.
During the investigation, officials found that Betsy picked up Zinna from the Gruda Veterinary Hospital in Santa Feu on February 9th. Authorities have previously discovered that they have discovered this Zinna found a deceased In a crate being in the closet “10 to 15” feet from the place where Betsy’s body was found on the bathroom floor.
“There was a dog procedure to explain why the dog was in the crate,” Mendoza explained.
Other surviving dogs, Bear and Nikita were found on the property. According to a statement, “one of the healthy dogs was initially noticed near the late female (inside the bathroom) and the other healthy dog was noticed outside the residence.”
Authorities believe Betsy died a week before Gene passed away. (Getty Images)
While he described in detail the time strip of Betsy’s movements, Mendoza said that the detectives discovered the e -Ši -Stable between the concert pianist and her mass therapist from 11:21, February 11.
Gene Hackman Death: Complete coverage
“Going to the afternoon, Mrs. Arakawa was at the Sprouts farmer’s market between 15:30 and 16:15,” Mendoza said. From there, the supervisory video recorded Betsy at a local pharmacy CVS around 16:20
Numerous E -adorned on February 11th remained unopened on their computer.
“There was no additional outgoing communication from her or a well -known activity, after February 11, 2025,” Mendoza said, adding that “a cell phone data and a cell phone data are ongoing.”
During a press conference, Jarrell explained that Hantavirus is characterized “Symptoms such as flu consisting of fever, muscle pain, coughing, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea that can progress to the shortness of breath and cardiac or heart failure and lung failure.”
“I don’t know when she started to feel sick,” Jarrell said about Betsy. “And these are just things that I don’t know I will ever have answers. But I think I’m going back to that initial period of time, about 3 to 6 days of feeling bad, and then succumbed quite quickly after the fluid starts to accumulate in the lungs.”
Mendoza was asked if it was known if Betsy had communicated with her family or friends to feel good before her death.
“Again, we go through some communications and I think cell phones may have some indications about it before the 11th,” he said. “But from this point, I have no information that she indicated that she felt sick during any communication.”
As you read? Click here for more news about fun
Hackmans owned three dogs, two of whom survived. (Animal Rescue, Inc.
At the beginning of the press conference, Mendoza said that Zinn was taken to the Veterinary Diagnostic Services of the Ministry of Agriculture of New Mexico for a necropsy.
Asked if it was probably that Zinn died because of hunger or dehydration, since she was trimmed, Dr. Erin Phipps, a newly Mexico state veterinarian with the New Mexico Ministry of Health, said: “I don’t think we know that.”
“However, given the time deadlines presented, there is a possibility,” she added.
Click here to sign up for a bulletin for fun
Phipps also explained that Zinna had not died of hantavirus because she claimed that dogs did not get sick of the disease.
The detectives initially described the death of the couple as “suspicious of nature enough to require a thorough search and investigation.” (Getty Images)
She explained that the state confirmed each year between one and seven cases a rare infection in humans, ending in 2024.
“We have identified 136 infections in the last 50 years with the inhabitants of Novi Mexico, five of which are in Santa FE district,” Phipps said. “This is a serious illness. Forty -two percent of these infections here in Novi Mexico was fatal.”
Detectives at first described the death of the couple “Substantially in nature that it requires a thorough search and an investigation,” the search order that received Fox News Digital states.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Fox News Digital, Tracy Wright and Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.
