Gene Hackman died of heart disease and his wife died of hantavirus, investigators say

Our live coverage of today’s news conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, about the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has concluded. You can read our takeaways here, or scroll through the posts below for details on today’s event.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza speaks during a press conference to provide an update on the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa at the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office on Friday, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Officials in Santa Fe, New Mexico, released key details today about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The pair were found dead along with one of their dogs at their secluded, mountaintop home last month, sparking a whirlwind of speculation about the circumstances.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza and Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical investigator at New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, discussed the findings at a news conference.

The timeline:

Cause of death and other key details:

What to know about hantavirus:

Officials on Friday declared the cause of death for Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa as hantavirus — a rare disease that can infect humans through contact with rodents.

Hantavirus most commonly is contracted through deer mice in the United States, especially when exposed to their urine, droppings and saliva, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It does not spread from person to person.

In the US and other parts of the Western Hemisphere, a hantavirus infection can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which can severely affect the lungs.

Symptoms can take up to two months to show up after contact with an infected rodent, often starting with fatigue, fever and muscle aches that can develop into coughing and shortness of breath within a few days.

More than a third of people who develop respiratory symptoms may die from the disease, according to the CDC. Between 1993 and 2022, 834 cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome were reported in the US, primarily in Western states.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza speaks during a press conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Friday.

While investigators are confident that they have determined what happened in the deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa, the investigation will remain open until a few more “loopholes” are finalized, the Santa Fe County sheriff said.

This includes what was on Hackman and Arakawa’s cellphones and the necropsy results to determine how their dog died, Sheriff Adan Mendoza said at a news conference on Friday.

“But you know, I think it’s … I think we’re pretty close to the timeline, and with the information that Dr. Jarrell provided,” he said, referring to Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical investigator at New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.

Jarrell said earlier in the news conference that Hackman died of natural causes, specifically heart disease, though she said he also had Alzheimer’s disease. His wife died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, likely a few days before her husband, according to Jarrell.

During a news conference Friday updating the public about the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, acknowledged that making public statements about death investigations is not something she normally does.

The way Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were found last month has drawn public interest.

Jarrell said she’s also spoken with the Hackman family, “who are aware of the autopsy findings and conclusions and are aware of this conference.”

Jarrell said earlier that Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hackman, 95, was hypertensive, had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as well as Alzheimer’s disease, which Jarrell said was “a significant contributory factor.”

The entrance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen on April 19, 2022, in Atlanta.

The Centers for Disease Control has been notified of the case of hantavirus that appears to have led to Betsy Arakawa’s death last month, said New Mexico State Veterinarian Erin Phipps.

Hantavirus is what is known as a “notifiable disease” that, when diagnosed, must be reported by health providers to state or public health officials, according to the CDC.

Arakawa’s autopsy revealed she likely died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare infectious disease that is contracted through contact with rodents, according to Phipps and New Mexico Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell.

Phipps said local health officials have not observed anything out of the ordinary in this case of hantavirus.

“This is not an unusual case. We get cases every year, unfortunately,” Phipps said. “We’re not seeing any indications of any abnormal or unusual patterns.”

The Santa Fe County sheriff says it is going to be “hard to tell” if Betsy Arakawa was feeling sick in the days before she was found dead.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza said investigators have been able to identify her on surveillance cameras earlier in the day on February 11, when all her outgoing communication and activity stopped.

Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell.

Starvation could have been a cause of death for Zinna, the deceased dog found in a crate in Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s bathroom last week, but officials are still unsure.

“I don’t think we know the answer to that,” New Mexico State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Erin Phipps said in response to a question at a Friday news conference asking if starvation was the cause of the dog’s death. “However, given the timelines presented, it is a possibility.”

She answered another question shortly after, saying that dogs are not able to contract hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — the illness that the New Mexico chief medical examiner said led to Arakawa’s death.

Zinna underwent a procedure on February 9, which could explain why the dog was in a crate at the time of its death, according to Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza. The animal has since been taken for a necropsy, he said.

The couple’s other two dogs were found alive, according to Joey Padilla, a pet care specialist involved in their care.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa arrive at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 29, 1989.

Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical investigator at New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, said that it was possible actor Gene Hackman was “not aware” that his wife had died several days earlier.

Hackman “showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.

A Hackman family spokesperson previously told CNN that reports of Alzheimer’s “are wholly untrue.”

Asked if Hackman would have been able to live on his own and survive after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died, Jarrell said:

She said that she did not see evidence that Hackman was dehydrated, but she also did not find any food in his stomach, “which means he had not eaten recently.”

Betsy Arakawa, whose body was found on the floor of a bathroom in the couple’s home, likely died before her husband, said Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.

Arakawa was last observed alive on February 11, when she was captured on surveillance cameras visiting a local CVS pharmacy and dog food store before returning to her gated community, Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said. February 11 is also the last day Arakawa had email communications.

Her husband, Gene Hackman, probably died on February 18, when his pacemaker last recorded his heartbeat, according to Jarrell.

“Based on the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that Ms. Arakawa passed away first,” Jarrell told reporters.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Sheriff Adan Mendoza’s first name.

Academy Award-winning actor Gene Hackman died of natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said Friday at a news conference.

The 95 year old was hypertensive, had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as well as Alzheimer’s disease, which Jarrell said was “a significant contributory factor.”

A Hackman family spokesperson previously told CNN that reports of Alzheimer’s “are wholly untrue.”

Jarrell went on to note that there were “no acute findings of internal or external trauma” following an autopsy on his body.

She said a post mortem CT examination “showed severe heart disease, including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, evidence of prior heart attacks and severe changes to the kidneys due to chronic high blood pressure.”

Hackman’s wife, whose decomposing body was found alongside his in their Santa Fe home last month, likely died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Jarrell said earlier Friday.

Hackman’s body was tested for hantavirus as well as COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses but they came back negative, the chief medical examiner said.

This post has been updated with more details from the news conference.

Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical examiner, speaks during a press conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Friday.

Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said officials believe that Betsy Arakawa’s last known communication was on February 11.

Arakawa’s husband, Gene Hackman, was also found dead in another room in the house. Hackman’s pacemaker showed his “last event” was recorded on February 17, Mendoza said previously.

Mendoza said Arakawa used a fob to gain access to the gated community where they lived at about 5:15 p.m. on February 11.

“Numerous emails were unopened on her computer on February 11. There was no additional outgoing communication from her or known activity after February 11, 2025,” Mendoza said.

Officials in Santa Fe, New Mexico, are now giving an update on the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza, New Mexico Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell and New Mexico State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Erin Phipps are all expected to speak.

Investigators have yet to say how the couple died, how long their bodies had been in the home, or even whether the husband and wife — found in separate rooms with no outward signs of injury — died at the same time.

Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of Gene Hackman on February 27 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As with any high-profile investigation, law enforcement in Santa Fe are operating under intense scrutiny as they examine the cryptic circumstances of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s deaths.

Small discrepancies in the sheriff department’s initial statements have drawn the interest of members of the public who have been fervently following the case, including the corrections regarding the breed and location of the couple’s dead dog.

Confusion also grew regarding whether the home was fully locked when the bodies were found, though investigators who responded to the scene said a door was found open.

A caretaker who called 911 to report the bodies told the operator the home was locked and he was unable to enter, according to audio of the call obtained by CNN. Later, a deputy responded to the scene and spoke to the 911 caller and another maintenance worker “who found and located the front door of the residence to be opened/ajar.”

It’s unclear what time the workers found the open door or how many doors the 911 caller had tried to open before calling for help. The sheriff later said the two surviving dogs were able to go in and out of the house through an open door.

Though the Hackman and Arakawa case has captured the attention of the world, Ron Martinelli, a law enforcement expert and certified medical investigator, told CNN he’s “very confident that it’s a medical mystery that will be solved.”

Questions still outweigh answers more than a week after beloved actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their secluded, mountaintop home just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Investigators have yet to say how the couple died, how long their bodies had been in the home, or even whether the husband and wife — found in separate rooms with no outward signs of injury — died at the same time.

But more insight may come soon as the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, alongside state medical examiners, plan to hold a news conference to provide updates in the case.

We’ll be covering the news conference live here. You can watch it in the video player at the top of this page.

As Santa Fe sheriff’s detectives continue to probe the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, it is not the first high-profile case this team has handled.

In 2021, deputies from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to the scene of the movie “Rust,” after a gun actor Alec Baldwin was holding fired and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The yearslong investigation ultimately ended in Baldwin’s case being thrown out after a judge accused prosecutors of not properly turning over evidence.

Sheriff officials have made clear that the current investigation into the cause of Hackman and Arakawa’s death will take time, as medical examiner cases often involve meticulous laboratory testing.

“I think the autopsy report is going to be key to this investigation,” Sheriff Adan Mendoza previously told NBC.

Oscar Award-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in New Mexico along with their dog last week, according to the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators have yet to say how the couple died, how long their bodies had been in the home, or even whether the husband and wife — found in separate rooms with no outward signs of injury — died at the same time.

A slow drip of information has emerged from the sheriff’s office after the bodies were found on February 26, but investigators have become tight-lipped in recent days.

Here’s what we know so far:

Unknown cause of death:

How the bodies were found:

Deceased dog:

More about the couple: