Signs of rodent activity were found at Gene Hackman’s New Mexico property after the actor’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a rare disease transmitted through rodents, according to a report.
Arakawa, 65, died at their Santa Fe home in February from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a disease spread through rodent urine, droppings or saliva, officials said.
In this Jan. 19, 2003, file photo, actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Mark J. Terrill/AP, FILE
Signs of dead rodents and rodent feces were discovered in their attached garage, detached garage, two casitas and a storage shed, according to a New Mexico Department of Health homesite environmental report. A rodent nest was found in a detached garage, the report said.
In a vehicle, officials found a live rodent, rodent feces and a nest, according to the report.
Live traps had been set out around the home, the report said.
The main house was clean with no signs of rodent activity, the report noted.
Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, N.M.
Roberto Rosales/AP
The inspection was completed one week after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa were found inside their house during a Feb. 26 welfare check.
At first, authorities didn’t know what caused their deaths.
Officials later announced that Hackman died of cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease. He likely died around Feb. 18, about one week after Arakawa died from HPS on about Feb. 12, officials said.
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome at first causes flu-like symptoms and can later cause trouble breathing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Those who contract HPS after being exposed to rodent excrement often feel ill for roughly three to six days, Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator, told reporters.
“Then they can transition to that pulmonary phase, where they have fluid in their lungs and around their lungs,” she said. “And at that point, a person can die very quickly, within 24 to 48 hours, roughly speaking, without medical treatment.”
Hackman was likely home with his deceased wife for one week before he died, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said at a press briefing in March.