Gene Hackman’s Wife Betsy Arakawa
Researched COVID Symptoms Days Before Hantavirus Death
Published April 15, 2025 12:07 PM PDT
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Updated April 15, 2025 12:43 PM PDT
Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was searching online for answers about symptoms Gene was experiencing just days before dying from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a new investigation shows.
The new report released by New Mexico officials, obtained by TMZ, revealed Betsy had bookmarks open on her computer from Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12 — the day she died — showing she was searching whether COVID could cause symptoms like dizziness or nosebleeds.
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An email to her masseuse revealed Gene woke up on Feb. 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms. His COVID test came back negative, but Betsy said she’d reschedule her appointment “out of an abundance of caution.”
Her history also showed she purchased several Boost Oxygen canisters on Feb. 11.
Investigators reviewed call logs to the Hackmans’ home phone, voicemails, and security footage from stores Arakawa visited on the same day.
Her final search, on the morning of Feb. 12, was for a Santa Fe healthcare provider.
Hantavirus spreads through rat and mouse urine or droppings, and it starts with flu-like symptoms — headaches and dizziness, which can quickly turn into serious respiratory distress. So she may have been experiencing similar symptoms to Gene at the time.
Unfortunately, an environmental assessment by the New Mexico Department of Public Health found Gene and Betsy’s property was infested — dead rodents and nests were scattered throughout eight detached outbuildings.
Betsy called a medical concierge service on Feb. 12, just a day before she was confirmed dead. Gene passed away a few days later, around February 17 or 18, from heart disease and advanced Alzheimer’s.