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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Betsy Arakawa died first from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and Gene Hackman died approximately a week later from cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease contributing. New Mexico officials ruled both deaths natural and said carbon monoxide poisoning was not detected.
According to New Mexico medical investigators, Betsy Arakawa died first from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Gene Hackman died approximately a week later from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease listed as a significant contributing condition. Both deaths were ruled natural. Carbon monoxide poisoning was ruled out by testing.
The couple’s deaths initially drew intense public attention because they were found at their Santa Fe-area home days after they had died, under circumstances that investigators described as unusual. That led authorities to examine the possibility of criminal or environmental causes. The later medical findings, however, pointed to two separate natural deaths rather than a shared fatal event.
How Betsy Arakawa died
Betsy Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS. The New Mexico Department of Health identified the illness as being caused by Sin Nombre virus, a hantavirus associated with infected rodents and exposure to their urine, droppings, or saliva. The department’s public-health announcement is available through the New Mexico Department of Health.
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HPS is an uncommon but potentially fatal respiratory disease. A person can become infected when contaminated rodent material is disturbed and particles become airborne. The publicly released information supports the diagnosis and the general route of transmission, but it does not establish a particular mouse nest, room, pet, object, or cleaning incident as the source of Arakawa’s infection.
Records later reported by the Associated Press indicated that Arakawa had experienced flu-like symptoms and had researched illness-related information or attempted medical contacts before her death. Those records help establish the sequence of events, but they do not, by themselves, provide a complete clinical history or prove how long she had been infected.
How Gene Hackman died
Gene Hackman died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In plain language, that refers to serious heart and blood-vessel disease associated with high blood pressure and atherosclerosis, the buildup and hardening of plaque in arteries. The medical examiner also identified Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor.
Officials estimated that Hackman died several days after Arakawa—approximately a week later. The estimate was based on investigative and medical evidence, including information from his pacemaker, but it should not be treated as an exact hour or legally certified time of death. The medical examiner’s public explanation was that Hackman’s advanced Alzheimer’s disease may have prevented him from recognizing or reporting that his wife had died. That is an official inference, not something that can be directly verified from his final moments.
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What happened at the house?
A maintenance worker’s concern led to the discovery of the couple and one of their dogs at their residence on February 26, 2025. Contemporary reports said Hackman was found in a mudroom and Arakawa in a bathroom. An unsecured door, the unusual condition of the residence, and the discovery of a dead dog contributed to the initial investigative response.
Because the couple were found together and had apparently been dead for some time, authorities initially treated the circumstances as suspicious. That wording described the posture of the investigation—not a finding that murder had occurred. Investigators still had to determine whether the deaths resulted from a crime, a household hazard, an infectious disease, or natural medical causes.
Why carbon monoxide became an early theory
Carbon monoxide poisoning was considered during the initial investigation because it can kill people in a home without obvious warning and could potentially explain multiple deaths. On February 28, 2025, authorities said testing of both bodies was negative for carbon monoxide. That result substantially weakened the household-gas-leak theory.
The final findings did not say that the couple died from carbon monoxide. They also did not identify evidence supporting homicide, poisoning, or suicide. The public medical determinations classified both deaths as natural. The Associated Press report on the carbon-monoxide testing covers that early investigative development.
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The reported timeline
| Date or period | What officials and records indicated |
|---|---|
| February 2025 | Arakawa reportedly experienced flu-like symptoms and researched illness information or attempted medical-related contacts. |
| Approximately mid-February 2025 | Officials estimated that Arakawa died first from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Because the deaths were not discovered immediately, the precise time could not be established. |
| About a week later | Hackman died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease contributing. His pacemaker records were one piece of evidence used to estimate the timing. |
| February 26, 2025 | A maintenance worker’s concern led to the discovery of the couple and one dog at their Santa Fe-area home. |
| February 28, 2025 | Authorities announced that carbon monoxide had not been detected in testing of the bodies. |
| March 7, 2025 | New Mexico’s chief medical examiner publicly announced the causes of death. The state health department separately confirmed a fatal HPS case involving a Santa Fe County woman. |
| April 15, 2025 | Santa Fe County announced the release of redacted investigative records under a court order. Those records added context to the initial investigation but did not replace the medical examiner’s determinations. |
What is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome?
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome is a severe illness that can begin with symptoms resembling the flu and progress rapidly to serious breathing problems. In New Mexico, the Sin Nombre virus is associated with infected rodents. Exposure can occur when rodent urine, droppings, or saliva contaminate an enclosed area and the material is disturbed.
New Mexico health officials advise people to take precautions when entering or cleaning spaces where rodents may have been present:
- Air out an enclosed building or room before cleaning it.
- Seal openings and take steps to prevent rodents from entering.
- Use disinfectant on contaminated surfaces and materials before handling them.
- Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings, urine, or nesting material, since those activities can send contaminated particles into the air.
New Mexico health officials have stated that the state’s Sin Nombre strain does not spread from person to person. That is important context: the public information does not suggest that Hackman contracted hantavirus from Arakawa. His publicly reported cause of death was cardiovascular disease, not HPS.
What remains uncertain?
The official causes of death are clear, but some details cannot be reconstructed with certainty:
- The exact time of death: Officials estimated when each person died; no exact hour should be inferred.
- The precise source of Arakawa’s exposure: Hantavirus was linked to rodent exposure in general, but no single object, room, animal, or nest has been publicly established as the source.
- Hackman’s awareness: The medical examiner said Alzheimer’s disease may have prevented him from understanding or reporting that Arakawa had died. It is not possible to state with certainty what he consciously knew.
- The initial scene: The unusual circumstances justified investigation, but they should not be confused with evidence that a crime occurred.
What the released records do—and do not—show
Santa Fe County released redacted investigative records on April 15, 2025, following a court order. Those documents provide additional detail about how the deaths were discovered and how authorities initially approached the case. They are useful for understanding the investigation’s sequence, but the early investigative uncertainty does not supersede the final medical findings.
The most authoritative public explanation remains the New Mexico health department’s HPS announcement, the chief medical examiner’s March 7 briefing as reported by contemporaneous outlets, and the county’s record-release notice. Later reporting on the autopsy documentation added detail about the couple’s health conditions, but it did not change the publicly reported conclusion that Arakawa died from HPS and Hackman died from cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributor.
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Betsy Arakawa and Gene Hackman did not die from the same confirmed cause. Arakawa died first from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, likely after exposure associated with infected rodents, although the precise exposure site was not established publicly. Hackman died about a week later from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease contributing. Both deaths were ruled natural, and carbon monoxide poisoning was excluded.
As of August 12, 2026, no later official revision to those publicly reported causes of death was identified in the available record.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was Betsy Arakawa’s cause of death?
Betsy Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, an illness associated with exposure to infected rodents and their urine, droppings, or saliva.
What was Gene Hackman’s cause of death?
Gene Hackman died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Alzheimer’s disease was identified as a significant contributing condition.
Did Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa die from carbon monoxide poisoning?
No. Testing of both bodies was negative for carbon monoxide, and officials ruled both deaths natural.
Who died first, Gene Hackman or Betsy Arakawa?
Officials estimated that Arakawa died first and Hackman died approximately a week later. The exact times of death were not established.
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Do officials know exactly how Betsy Arakawa contracted hantavirus?
The public record confirms the HPS diagnosis and its general association with infected rodents, but it does not establish a specific room, object, pet, or rodent nest as the source of Arakawa’s exposure.
The Bottom Line
The official conclusion is a two-part tragedy: Betsy Arakawa died first from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, while Gene Hackman died approximately a week later from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease contributing. Both deaths were ruled natural, and carbon monoxide poisoning was ruled out.
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