Authorities in northern New Mexico released police body camera video and other public records Tuesday in the investigation into the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The two were found dead Feb. 26 in their Santa Fe home.
, 95, died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's disease about a week after , 65, died of hantavirus.
The records detail some of Arakawa's last emails, phone calls and internet searches that appear to show she was looking for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques. The documents and video recordings were released after a court ruled that most of them are public record but ordered that the couple's bodies would have to be blocked from view.
What do the body camera video and records tell us?
Arakawa’s computer showed that between Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12, she was researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms, according to the records released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office.
In an email to her masseuse, she said Hackman woke up Feb. 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms and she'd have to reschedule her appointment for the next day.
Her search history on the morning of Feb. 12 showed she was looking into a medical concierge service in Santa Fe. A call with the service lasted less than two minutes, and she missed a return call later that afternoon, according to investigators.
Redacted police body camera images showed officers going through the home and finding no signs of forced entry or anything out of the ordinary with the home's contents. Investigators took note of prescription medication on a bathroom counter as one of the couple's dogs barked in the background.
Initially, all from the investigation were sealed by a Hackman's estate and Arakawa's mother asked a judge to extend that order, citing privacy concerns. The Associated Press, CBS News and CBS Studios intervened in the matter, saying in court filings that they would not disseminate images of the couple’s bodies.
The court for the release of investigative records as long as there were no videos or photos of the couple's bodies.
What we know about the deaths
Both were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said. Hackman's death was tied to heart disease with Alzheimer’s disease contributing. Authorities linked Arakawa's death to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by the droppings of infected rodents.
Hackman’s pacemaker showed an abnormal heart rhythm on Feb. 18 — the day he likely died, Jarrell said.
While there's no reliable way to know for sure when each died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said.
Hackman's body was found in the home’s entryway, and Arakawa's body was found in a bathroom. Thyroid medication pills prescribed to Arakawa were found nearby and weren’t listed as contributing to her death, Jarrell said.
Investigators earlier retrieved personal items from the home, including a monthly planner and two cellphones. One of the couple’s three dogs was found dead in a crate near Arakawa. Authorities initially .
What is hantavirus?
The virus typically is reported in spring and summer, often when people are in homes, sheds or poorly ventilated areas. It can cause a severe, sometimes deadly lung infection called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An environmental assessment of the Hackman property found rodent feces in several outbuildings and live traps on the property, according to a New Mexico Department of Health report. The inside of the home was clean, with no evidence of rodent activity.
Nestled among the piñon and juniper hills overlooking Santa Fe, the Hackman home is not unlike others in the area as mice are common within the surrounding landscape.
This was the first confirmed case of hantavirus in New Mexico this year. Hantavirus does not spread between people.
Initial symptoms can include fatigue, fever and muscle aches. As the disease progresses, people can experience coughing, shortness of breath or tightness in the chest as the lungs fill with fluid, according to the CDC. About a third of people who develop respiratory symptoms can die, the agency said.
How Hackman made his name
Hackman appeared in a broad dating back to 1961, when he debuted in “Mad Dog Coll." His roles included playing the arch nemesis Lex Luthor in the “Superman†movies and a coach finding redemption in the
He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for “The French Connection†in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for “Unforgiven†two decades later. He retired in the early 2000s.
Who was Arakawa?
was born in Hawaii in December 1959 and grew up in Honolulu. She studied piano and, as an 11-year-old sixth grader, performed in youth concerts in front of thousands of students at the Honolulu International Center Concert Hall, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported in 1971.
She attended the University of Southern California and was a cheerleader for the Aztecs, a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League. She also worked as a production assistant on the television game show “Card Sharks,†the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported in 1981.
She met Hackman while working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s. They soon moved in together and relocated to Santa Fe by the end of the decade.
Arakawa was vice president of Pandora’s, a home decor and furnishing store in Santa Fe, according to .
Where were Hackman and his wife living?
Their Pueblo revival home, a style typical in the area, sits on a hill in a gated community with views of the Rocky Mountains far from Hollywood. The area is known as a preferred location among artists and a retreat for celebrities.
The home was featured in a 1990 article by . The four-bedroom, 8,700-square-foot (808-square-meter) structure on 6 acres (2.4 hectares) had an estimated market value of a little over $4 million, according to Santa Fe County property tax records.
Hackman could be spotted around the historic state capital, but he disappeared largely from the public eye in his later years. His hobbies included painting, deep-sea diving and, later in life, writing novels.
