What an investigation at the Hackman-Arakawa home tells us about their deaths

• A public health report shows that actor Gene Hackman’s property in New Mexico was a potential breeding ground for hantavirus due to signs of rodent infestation across multiple buildings.
• Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead at the property in February. Arakawa died from hantavirus, a rare rodent-borne disease, while Hackman died of heart disease complicated by Alzheimer’s.
• An environmental risk assessment by the New Mexico Public Health Department found rodents, faeces, and nests in various outbuildings and vehicles on the property, suggesting an ongoing infestation.
• The primary residence was deemed low-risk with no signs of rodent activity inside.
• Hantavirus pulmonary disease is fatal in nearly four out of 10 people infected, with almost 730 cases identified in the US between 1993 and 2017.

IN FULL

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s property deemed possible ‘breeding ground’ for hantavirus