An official cause of death has been revealed for Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
According to the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico, a final autopsy obtained by Fox News Digital shows that Hackman had a “history of congestive heart failure” in addition to “severe chronic hypertensive changes, kidneys.”
The legendary actor had a “bi-ventricular pacemaker” placed in April 2019, documents stated. “Neurodegenerative features consistent with Alzheimer’s Disease,” were also noted in the autopsy.
“Autopsy showed severe atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with placement of coronary artery stents and a bypass graft, as well as a previous aortic valve replacement,” the documents stated.
“Remote myocardial infarctions were present involving the left ventricular free wall and the septum, which were significantly large. Examination of the brain showed microscopic findings of advanced stage Alzheimer’s disease.”
Hackman tested negative for Hantavirus. “Testing for carbon monoxide was less than 5% saturation, in keeping with a normal range,” the medical examiner noted.
A toxicology report found trace amounts of acetone in Hackman’s system when he died. The solvent used for chemicals is “also a product of diabetic- and fasting-induced ketoacidosis as well as a metabolite following isopropanol ingestion,” according to the report.
Hackman’s toxicology test showed acetone levels at 5.3 mg/dl, where as reported normal endogenous acetone levels in blood are up to 0.3 mg/dL.
The findings are consistent with a prolonged level of fasting.
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Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were found Feb. 26 by maintenance workers Jesse Kesler and Roland Lowe Begay. Kesler, who had worked as a personal contractor for the couple for 16 years, made a frantic 911 call.
A search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital revealed that Arakawa was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet.
Hackman was found to have the same signs of decomposition as his wife.
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Detectives initially described the couple’s deaths as “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.
Officials confirmed that no external trauma was seen on either Hackman or Arakawa, and New Mexico authorities promptly launched a criminal investigation into their deaths.
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Through a search of Arakawa’s computer, investigators discovered she researched COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms multiple times before she died. Investigators recovered an email Arakawa sent to her massage therapist on Feb. 11 in which she admitted Hackman took a “covid test” after experiencing “flu/cold-like symptoms.”
Prior to her email, Arakawa had researched “COVID” at least four times between Feb. 8-11 before pursuing medical attention at the Cloudberry Health center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, documents showed.
“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 stated.
Arakawa died due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is transmitted from animals to humans and is commonly found in rodents, the New Mexico Department of Health confirmed.
Hantavirus is characterized by “flu-like symptoms consisting of fever, muscle aches, cough, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea that can progress to shortness of breath and cardiac or heart failure and lung failure,” Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell explained during a news conference last month.
Hackman was 95 at the time of his death, and his wife 63.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon and Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this post.
