Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died a week away for different causes, in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, last month, authorities said on Friday.
Arakawa, 65, died around February 11 due to pulmonary syndrome caused by Hantavirus, a usually widespread disease, said the forensic at a press conference.
Gene Hackman died at the age of 95, around February 18, a week later, because of a “Hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease being a significant factor ”said Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief of investigation.
The forensic said he had no food in the stomach, but there were no evidence of dehydration, writes huffpost.com.
Their dog, who was found dead in a crate in a bathroom, had been taken to the veterinarian for a procedure two days before Arakawa’s death, which could explain why he was kept in the heel, said Santa Fe Șerif, Adan Mendoza.
Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakaw
He added that, following an investigation, a minor leak was found from a single burner on the kitchen stove, which released 0.33% of the air in the room – an amount “Pretty small and insignificant“He said, throwing cold water on speculation that the couple and dog died with carbon monoxide. Their remains were not positively tested for carbon monoxide poisoning, the authorities have previously said.
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their home in Santa Fe during a health control of February 26, which was carried out after a maintenance worker saw their bodies through windows. While one of their dogs was found dead in a crate, the other two were alive on the property.
Both bodies were found in a state of decomposition, with hackman in the foyer and Arakawa in a bath, next to drugs prescribed for high blood pressure and scattered thyroid disorders. A deputy of the sheriff present on the spot said that it seems that Hackman and Arakawa have “Suddenly fallen.”
“In the last five years, New Mexico has confirmed each year between one and seven infections with hazavirus in humans,” said Dr. Erin Phipps, the veterinarian responsible for the state’s public health, during the press conference on Friday.
“This is a serious illness,” she continued. “Forty -two percent of these infections here in New Mexico were fatal. Most of the transmission takes place around the patient’s residence or job. ”
