Actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico in February 2025. Their deaths had been shrouded by mystery – how could a Hollywood legend die in his home and not be missed for weeks?
Eugene ‘Gene’ Allen Hackman was born on January 30, 1930. We won’t go into his entire biography as that would require its own episode. During his acting career, Gene won two Academy Awards, two BAFTA awards and four Golden Globes. Some of his more recent films include Enemy of the State, The Royal Tenenbaums and Get Shorty. Gene retired from acting in 2017, when he was in his late 80s.
In terms of his personal life, he married Fay Maltese in 1956. They had three children together – Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie. He divorced Fay in 1986, after three decades of marriage.
Gene married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa on December 1, 1991, when they were 61 and 31.. They had dated for seven years prior to their marriage.
In terms of Betsy’s background, she was born on December 15, 1959 in Hawaii. She met Gene in the 1980’s while she was working part time at a LA gym. He had forgotten his membership card and she refused to let him in.
The couple purchased a property in the mountains of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They converted the 1950s property into an amazing home that was featured in Architectural Digest.
As Gene aged, his health worsened. He had problems with his heart and he had been fitted with a pacemaker. He was also said to be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Betsy was said to be very protective of Gene and she was his sole caregiver. She refused to hire any caretakers. Betsy also managed Gene’s life including organizing golf games and social visits.
The couple seemed to be very devoted to each other and notes that they wrote have been made public.
The couple had three dogs – Zinna, Bear and Nikita. Zinna’s full name was Zinfandel – the dog was named after Gene’s favorite wine.
Zinna had major surgery in late January 2025. The dog was around 12 years old. Veterinary staff told Betsy to keep Zinna in a crate, to keep her from running around and undoing the effects of the surgery.
On February 10, Betsy searched online for the terms “can Covid cause dizziness?” and “Flu and nosebleeds”.
On February 11, Betsy emailed her massage therapist at around 11.21am. She told the therapist that Gene had woken up with flu/cold symptoms, but had tested negative for Covid. Betsy also ordered oxygen canisters on Amazon for ‘respiratory support.
Later that day, she went to a Sprouts grocery store between 3.30pm and 4.15pm, before going to the CVS. This was the last time that Betsy was seen alive. You can see her in the CCTV wearing a face mask.
She then headed home. She was meant to pick up prescription dog food that she had ordered but she failed to do so.
“She was devoted to those dogs,” Robert Gruda, the vet hospital’s owner, told USA TODAY in an interview. “She was consistent, predictable. We knew something was wrong when she didn’t pick up the food on time.”
On February 12, Betsy called a doctor multiple times and made an appointment for later that afternoon.
“Pending cell phone records, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office investigation showed the last known activity of Mrs. Hackman to be Feb. 11, 2025,” the statement reads. “We can now confirm that Mrs. Hackman’s phone was utilized on the morning of Feb. 12 to call a medical center in Santa Fe, Cloudberry Health. A total of three calls were made that morning, all to the medical center.”
“One incoming call was made to Mrs. Hackman from the same medical center that afternoon. That appeared as a missed call on Mrs. Hackman’s cell phone,” the statement concludes.
“This information was learned through investigation into the cell phone data contained on her phone.”
“She called and described some congestion but didn’t mention any respiratory distress, shortness of breath, or chest pain,” the doctor said.
Betsy did not attend the appointment.
It is now believed that Betsy died on February 12.
Gene’s movements over the following days are largely unknown. Authorities believe that he may not have known that Betsy was dead.
Authorities believe that Gene died on February 18. This was the date of his last recorded pacemaker activity, which showed an abnormal rhythm of atrial fibrillation.
On February 26, 2025, maintenance workers arrived at their home and found the couple, along with one of their dogs, dead.
Their deaths were deemed suspicious enough for a “thorough search and investigation,” according to the search warrant.
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s office held a press conference on February 28. Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said that an autopsy was performed and both tested negative for carbon monoxide. Initial findings noted no external trauma to either of them. However, official results of the autopsy and toxicology reports are pending.
We learned that Gene had been found dead in a mud room
The actor Gene Hackman was found dead in a mud room. An open prescription bottle and scattered pills were discovered near Betsy’s body on a counter in the bathroom.
Zinna was found dead in a crate around 10-15 feet away from Betsy.
Betsy’s showed signs of decomposition, the affidavit said, as well as “mummification in both hands and feet.” The dead dog was found near her in a closet, and two other dogs were found alive on the property. Gene’s body showed signs of death “similar and consistent” with his wife’s body.
Gene was found in gray sweatpants, a blue long-sleeve T-shirt, brown slippers and with a cane, the affidavit said. A pair of sunglasses was found to his left. One of the deputies on the scene said that it appeared he had “suddenly fallen,” the affidavit said.
On March 7, 2025, the causes of death for Gene and Betsy were revealed. Betsy passed away from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rats.
Cases are rare. As of 2024, New Mexico had seen only 136 infections over the past 50 years, with just five of those in Santa Fe County, according to Erin Phipps, the state public health veterinarian. Dogs don’t get the disease, and the strain found in the U.S. can’t spread from human to human, she said.
Symptoms of the virus are similar to flu symptoms – aches, fever, abdominal pain,
The mortality rate of hantavirus is between 35% and 50%, according to health officials.
“Unfortunately, it could progress to cardiogenic shock over a period of a few hours,” he said. “Even in a hospital, most deaths occur within the first day.”
After Betsy died Gene was left alone in the home. We don’t know if he knew that Betsy had passed. If he did, he likely went through various stages of confusion and grief, trying to wake her up before the disease caused him to become distracted or too overwhelmed to act – a process that likely repeated for days before he, too, died.
It was confirmed that Gene died from severe heart disease, complicated by advanced Alzheimer’s disease and kidney disease.
SOURCE LIST
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hackman
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxgqgqykneo
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89ydyjewjlo