Gene Hackman's Wife and Her Concern Over Flulike Symptoms Before Tragedy Struck

Reports and multimedia materials released by New Mexico's Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office offer insights into the final days of Betsy Arakawa and the celebrated actor Gene Hackman.

Just days before their untimely deaths, Betsy Arakawa was actively searching the internet for information related to symptoms akin to the flu and Covid, as reported by authorities on Tuesday.

The newly released documentation, which includes interviews with witnesses, images of the scene, and footage from police body cameras, sheds light on the last period of the couple’s life at their Santa Fe residence in February.

Following the loss of his wife, Mr. Hackman, aged 95, spent his final days alone and later succumbed to heart disease, with Alzheimer's as a contributing factor.

Hantavirus, often initially presenting with flu-like symptoms before advancing to more severe respiratory and cardiac outcomes, was suggested as a potential concern.

Police documents disclosed on Tuesday included evidence of Ms. Arakawa's internet searches two days prior to her death, which queried topics like the correlation between Covid and dizziness, as well as flu symptoms paired with nosebleeds, timestamped on February 10.

On the subsequent day, she reached out to her massage therapist to cancel a session, citing her husband’s recent manifestation of cold and flu symptoms, despite a negative Covid test. She also placed an order for oxygen tanks via Amazon, seeking additional respiratory assistance.