New details have come to light about the tragic circumstances surrounding the deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa in their New Mexico mansion on February 26.
The couple were found lifeless in their Santa Fe home after worried staff spotted them through a window and alerted emergency services. Initial suspicions of carbon monoxide poisoning were ruled out when tests revealed they had both died from separate health conditions.
It was later confirmed that Betsy, 65, had succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome - a rare and lethal disease spread via the droppings and urine of infected rodents. Her death is thought to have occurred around February 12.
Just days afterwards, Gene, aged 95, passed away due to complications from advanced heart disease, exacerbated by Alzheimer's and kidney problems. Heartbreakingly, it's believed that the Oscar-winning actor may not have been aware of his wife's passing due to his deteriorating health.
Further information has since emerged about the state of the property where they were discovered, reports the Mirror.
A week after the grim discovery, the New Mexico Department of Public Health conducted a thorough inspection of the couple's expansive estate. The findings were deeply concerning.
Rodent nests, droppings, and even carcasses were found across eight separate buildings on the estate - including garages, sheds and guesthouses. Inspectors also uncovered signs of rodents in two vehicles, along with traps scattered around the outbuildings, indicating a persistent problem.
Although the main house was considered "low-risk" with no active signs of infestation indoors, the state of the surrounding property prompted officials to label it as a potential hotspot for hantavirus.
Hackman, who retired from acting two decades ago after his last film 'Welcome to Mooseport', had been living a low-profile life with his wife, away from the glitz of Hollywood. The couple was notoriously private, a stance their estate's legal team tried to maintain even following their deaths.
Nevertheless, a judge has recently decided that certain details from the investigation - such as body camera footage and photos of the deceased dog found at the property - can be disclosed to the public, as long as the images don't display Hackman or Arakawa's bodies.
The released footage from earlier this month captures police conversing with employees who had notified the authorities upon spotting a corpse through a window. "Something's not right," one worker is overheard remarking in the clip.
In his will dated 1995, Hackman appointed Arakawa as the exclusive beneficiary. Her will dictated that if both passed away within a 90-day period, their estate would go to charitable causes.
The chilling sequence of events leading to their deaths and the shocking condition of their property has left fans shocked and raised awareness about the deadly Hantavirus - a disease with fewer than 50 reported cases in the US each year.
The couple had been together for 34 years and didn't have any children together, although Arakawa was a stepmother to his three kids from a previous marriage. Legal experts have now suggested that because authorities believe Arakawa passed away seven days before her husband, Hackman's children could potentially inherit his wealth despite not being mentioned in the will.
His three children with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese - Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 - have remained silent on the issue. Initially, authorities labelled the scene "suspicious" but later dismissed any foul play.
One of their dogs, Zinna, was also found dead - however, two of their other dogs, Bear and Nikita, were discovered roaming around the 12-acre property. Their home was situated in a secluded gated community and their neighbours reportedly rarely saw them.
"They have a gate, and we have a gate, and we just have never even seen each other," one neighbour told the New York Times. Another resident added: "He wanted to be quiet, he didn't want to be bothered, and I don't blame him."
Reports suggest that the $3.5 million (€3.1 million) ranch home was in disarray before the couple's tragic passing. "The inside of the house was shocking," an insider revealed to MailOnline.
"They didn't have a housekeeper or a maid, so it had beautiful things - furniture and paintings - but there was dog poop on the floor."
The insider continued: "The inside of the house was bad. Nothing had been dusted. There was nothing in the fridge."
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