Records show Gene Hackman's wife researched symptoms of illness in days before her death

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Authorities connected Tuesday released a lengthy probe study detailing immoderate of the past emails and net searches done by Gene Hackman’s woman successful the days earlier her death, indicating that she was scouring the net for accusation connected flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.

Betsy Arakawa died successful February of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a rare, rodent-borne illness that tin led to a scope of symptoms that see flu-like illness, headaches, dizziness and terrible respiratory distress, investigators person said. Gene Hackman is believed to person died astir a week aboriginal of bosom illness with complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

The partially mummified remains of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found successful their Santa Fe home connected Feb. 26, erstwhile attraction and information workers showed up astatine the location and alerted police.

According to the study released Tuesday, a reappraisal of the unfastened bookmarks connected Arakawa's machine Feb. 8 and the greeting of Feb. 12 indicated she was actively researching aesculapian conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms. The searches included questions astir whether COVID could origin dizziness oregon nosebleeds.

She besides had mentioned successful an email to her masseuse that Hackman had woken up Feb. 11 with flu oregon cold-like symptoms but that a COVID trial was antagonistic and she would person to reschedule her assignment for the adjacent time “out of an abundance of caution.”

Arakawa's past hunt was the greeting of Feb. 12 for a wellness attraction supplier successful Santa Fe.

Investigators besides reviewed a telephone past to the Hackmans' location telephone on with voicemails and information footage from stores that Arakawa had visited connected Feb. 11.

Authorities besides are expected to merchandise much redacted constabulary assemblage camera footage from wrong the location arsenic sheriff's deputies and investigators tried to portion unneurotic what had happened to the couple. The written study describes them going done rooms of the location and uncovering thing retired of the mean and nary signs of forced entry.

The materials were being released arsenic the effect of a caller tribunal bid that mandated immoderate depictions of the deceased mates would person to beryllium blocked from view. All photos, video and documents from the probe had been restricted from merchandise by an earlier, temporary tribunal order.

The Hackman property and household members had sought to support the records sealed to support the family’s law close to privacy.

A study obtained from the New Mexico Department of Health showed an biology appraisal of the Hackman spot recovered rodent feces successful respective outbuildings but not wrong the surviving quarters. A unrecorded rodent, dormant rodent and a rodent nest were recovered successful 3 detached garages.

Nestled among the piñon and juniper hills overlooking Santa Fe, the Hackman location is not dissimilar others successful country arsenic mice are communal wrong the surrounding landscape.

One of the couple’s 3 dogs besides was recovered dormant successful a crate successful a bath closet adjacent Arakawa, portion 2 different dogs were recovered alive. A authorities veterinary laboratory tied the dog’s decease to dehydration and starvation.

An lawyer for the estate, Kurt Sommer, argued during a proceeding past period that the mates had taken large pains to enactment retired of the nationalist airy during their lifetimes and that the close to power the usage of their names and likenesses should widen to their property successful death.

Estate typical Julia Peters besides emphasized the perchance shocking quality of photographs and video successful the probe and the imaginable for their dissemination by media.

The Associated Press, CBS News and CBS Studios intervened successful the matter, saying successful tribunal filings that they would not disseminate images of the couple’s bodies and would blur images to obscure them from different records.

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