A physician has revealed Gene Hackman‘s wife, Betsy Arakawa, didn’t die on February 11, as officers claim, because she called his clinic on February 12.
Hackman, Arakawa, and one among their three dogs were found dead of their home in Latest Mexico on February 26, with the initial suspicion being that they died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Nonetheless, law enforcement officials from Santa Fe County revealed that Arakawa died of Hantavirus on February 11, while Hackman died seven days later as a result of hypertensive atherosclerotic heart problems, with Alzheimer’s being a contributing factor.
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Doctor Says Gene Hackman’s Wife ‘Didn’t Die On February 11’
The circumstances surrounding Arakawa and Hackman’s deaths proceed to generate confusion, with a health care provider now adding one other angle to the mystery.
On Saturday, Dr. Josiah Child told the Every day Mail that officers were mistaken about Arakawa’s day of death.
He said, “Mrs. Hackman didn’t die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12.”
Child, a former emergency care specialist who now runs Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, explained further, “She’d called me a few weeks before her death to ask about getting an echocardiogram [heart scan] for her husband. She was not a patient of mine, but one among my patients beneficial Cloudberry to her.”
He also said, “She made an appointment for herself for February 12. It was for something unrelated to anything respiratory.”
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Dr. Josiah Child Says Betsy Arakawa Canceled Her February 12 Appointment
The doctor said Arakawa canceled her appointment two days before she was to see him because Gene Hackman was unwell.
He also revealed, “She called back on the morning of February 12 and spoke to one among our doctors who told her to are available in that afternoon.”
Dr. Child said, “We made her an appointment but she never showed up. She didn’t show any symptoms of respiratory distress.”
He added, “The appointment wasn’t for anything related to hantavirus. We tried calling her a few times with no reply.”
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Dr. Child Doesn’t Think Hantavirus Caused Gene Hackman’s Wife’s Death
The doctor’s revelations that Arakawa was alive on the day the coroner claimed she died adds one other layer of mystery to an already stressful situation.
Nonetheless, Dr. Child can be disputing that hantavirus is the explanation for Arakawa’s death as she showed no signs of “respiratory distress.”
He said, “I’m not a hantavirus expert but most patients who’ve that diagnosis die in hospital. It’s surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn’t appear in respiratory distress.”
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles-based doctor spoke to the outlet on Sunday and solid more doubt on hantavirus being the explanation for Arakawa’s demise.
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They said, “Medical professionals are all scratching their heads over hantavirus because the explanation for death. Respiratory failure shouldn’t be sudden – it’s something that worsens over several days.”
The doctor concluded, “Most individuals get admitted to the ER [emergency room] because they’re having trouble respiration. It’s exceedingly rare for a seemingly healthy 65-year-old to drop dead of it. In actual fact, nobody’s heard of such a thing.”
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Betsy Arakawa’s Final Days
On February 11, 2025, Arakawa, 65, reportedly carried out her usual activities, visiting a food market, pharmacy, and pet food shop before returning home to Santa Fe.
Authorities imagine she died that very same day from hantavirus, a rare but deadly disease linked to rodent droppings.
Following her passing, there was no further communication or activity from her.
Gene Hackman’s Passing and Discovery
Hackman, 95, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, was likely unaware of his wife’s death. His pacemaker data recorded heart activity on February 17, with an irregular rhythm on February 18, suggesting he passed away that day as a result of heart disease.
Arakawa and Hackman’s bodies were found on February 26 when a maintenance employee reported them unresponsive. Authorities ruled each deaths as natural causes—Arakawa from hantavirus and Hackman from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor.
Meanwhile, Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, reflected on the couple’s death, stressing the necessity to support caregivers.
She highlighted how Arakawa, Hackman’s caregiver, passed away per week before him, reinforcing the challenges caregivers face.
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Drawing from her own experience caring for Bruce, who has frontotemporal dementia, Emma urged people to acknowledge caregivers’ struggles.
She debunked the parable that caregivers “have all of it found out,” insisting in addition they need care. In an Instagram post, she emphasized, “Caregivers need care too. Period. Full stop.”
