A new spanner has been thrown into the works just when everyone believed they had the answers to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
Betsy was 65 when she died, and police investigating the case acknowledged Monday that she was still alive 24 hours after they first thought she had passed away. The pianist made several calls to a Santa Fe medical center on February 12, which would have been 24 hours after she was first thought to have died on February 11, according to preliminary mobile phone records.
The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department’s latest bombshell casts doubt on earlier accounts and adds even more complexity to the already perplexing timeframe. Earlier this week, authorities told Fox News, “We can now confirm that Mrs. Hackman’s phone was utilized on the morning of February 12 to call a medical center in Santa Fe, Cloudberry Health.”
Gene Hackman and wife’s death investigated as ‘suspicious’ after door was found open, pills found https://t.co/SY3SbUEypL pic.twitter.com/lL8PmPPfqv
— New York Post (@nypost) February 27, 2025
“That morning, the medical center received three calls in all. They clarified, saying, “That appeared as a missed call on Mrs. Hackman’s cell phone.” That afternoon, Mrs. Hackman received one incoming call from the same medical center.
The disclosure supports a statement made by Cloudberry Health’s founder, Dr. Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist. Betsy had previously claimed to have scheduled an appointment for February 12, the day after her alleged death, according to Dr. Child, who had spoken with her a few weeks before her passing.
“She scheduled a self-care appointment for February 12. At the time, Dr. Child stated that it was for something unconnected to anything respiratory. Additionally, he brought up the fact that Betsy had only a few days prior cancelled the appointment, claiming that her husband’s deteriorating health was the cause.
Dr. Child thus questioned Betsy’s cause of death, speculating that her hantavirus diagnosis might not provide a comprehensive response to all of the case’s issues. It was determined that Betsy’s cause of death was an uncommon and potentially fatal disease that was contracted through rat exposure.
However, given that she didn’t exhibit any of the symptoms usually associated with the sickness during her phone calls, Dr Child’s report seems to raise some questions about how serious her condition was. “It is surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn’t appear in respiratory distress,” he said. “Most patients who have hantavirus die in hospital.”
You’d think that investigators would check phone records BEFORE making assertions about TOD? Good grief…WTF is wrong with our law enforcement and other agencies? 🥺 Phone Records Reveal New Details In Gene Hackman’s Death Investigation https://t.co/itsfRcsFDB
— Amy Forsythe (@amy_forsythe) March 18, 2025
Confusion was exacerbated by reports that Gene, who had advanced Alzheimer’s, spent days alone in the couple’s house after his wife passed away. Since officials later confirmed that he died on February 18, one week after his wife, it’s plausible that he was unaware of Betsy’s departure.
Alzheimer’s played a major influence in the Hollywood legend’s death, which was determined to be caused by hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The bodies of the couple were not discovered until February 26, when a neighbor’s carer saw them unconscious and dialed 911.
