Gene Hackman probably hadn’t eaten for days before his death and may lived for a week without realizing his wife was dead, an autopsy has found.
The 95-year-old actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead at their New Mexico home on Feb. 26, their bodies already “partially mummified.”
An autopsy by the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico has revealed Hackman had 5.3 mg/dl of acetone in his system when he died, which is consistent with prolonged fasting, Fox News reports.
The chemical solvent can be a “product of diabetic- and fasting-induced ketoacidosis as well as a metabolite following isopropanol ingestion,” according to the coroner’s office, which also reported Hackman was suffering from “neurodegenerative features consistent with Alzheimer’s disease” at the time of his death.
Also included in the autopsy were the details that Hackman had a “history of congestive heart failure” and had been fitted with a pacemaker in 2019.
Arakawa, meanwhile, was confirmed to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a rare degenerative virus transmitted by rodents. A search warrant seen by Fox News revealed her body was found decomposed in her bed with bloating on her face and some mummification of her hands and feet.
Hackman tested negative for the virus but was found nearby with similar levels of decomposition. It is believed he died on Feb. 18—which is when his pacemaker last showed signs of activity—so might have unknowingly been living alongside his wife’s body for a week.
Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said that due to Hackman’s mental state at the time of his death, it was “quite possible” that he was not aware that his wife had passed away.
Testing for carbon monoxide was less than 5 percent saturation, which is in “keeping with a normal range,” the medical examiner noted.
Detectives initially said the couple’s deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” and a criminal investigation was launched by New Mexico authorities following the discovery. No external trauma was reported on their bodies.
In the days prior to her death, Arakawa had researched “COVID” several times on her computer, and sent a message to her massage therapist admitting Hackman had taken a “covid test” after experiencing “flu/cold-like symptoms.”
“This data suggests that Betsy was actively researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms in the days leading up to her death,” the report noted.
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