Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on February 26, 2025.
Hackman, who was 95 years old at the time, died on or around February 17. The actor’s cause of death was attributed to advanced Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, and severe heart disease.
Arakawa, who married Hackman in December 1991, died on or around February 12. The classical pianist died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — contracted through exposure to rodent droppings. She was 65 years old at the time.
According to a new health report obtained by TMZ on April 14, the pair’s home was infested with dead rodents and nests.
The New Mexico Department of Public Health conducted an environmental assessment in March following Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths.
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The assessment revealed that rodent feces were discovered in three sheds, three garages, and two casitas on their property. A live rodent, a dead rodent, and a rodent nest were also found in the three detached garages.
Per the document, two of the cars on Hackman and Arakawa’s property displayed signs of rodent nests and feces. Moreover, live traps appeared to have been set up in the outbuildings.
However, the primary residence where Hackman and Arakawa resided was determined to be low-risk.
Since Arakawa’s passing, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome has now been linked to three other deaths this year.
Three individuals in Mammoth Lakes, California, had died of HPS as of early February.
“The occurrence of three cases in a short period has me worried, especially this early in the year,” Dr. Tom Boo, a county public health officer, said in a statement to NBC News on April 5.
