A contractor who worked for Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, mentioned that he had spoken to Arakawa a few days before they were discovered deceased at their residence in New Mexico the previous month.
Authorities reported that pianist Betsy Arakawa, aged 65, passed away on February 11 due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, while Hackman, who was 95, died eight days later from heart disease. The couple was found at their Santa Fe home. The couple’s long-time contractor, named Jesse Kesler, stated in an interview with Us Weekly that he had no knowledge of any health concerns when he talked to Arakawa on February 9.
Kesler was apparently among the initial individuals who arrived at the couple’s home after they were discovered deceased on February 27. Arakawa was found on the bathroom floor, where pills were scattered on the countertop. Hackman was located in the mudroom with his sunglasses nearby. Zenna, the couple’s kelpie mix, was found deceased in a kennel inside a bathroom closet close to Arakawa’s body. The two other pet dogs belonging to the couple were found alive on the premises.
READ: Gene Hackman Died of Heart Disease, While Wife Betsy Arakawa Had Hantavirus
“It was a heartbreaking experience,” Kesler told Us Weekly. ““I was heartbroken. They were the sweetest people in the world to me and others.”
Heather Jarrell, Office of the Medical Examiner’s Chief Medical Examiner, said Arakawa tested positive for the hantavirus, a rare infectious disease primarily from deer mice. Alzheimer’s disease was listed as a contributing factor in Hackman’s death.
According to Jarrell, Arakawa sent an email on February 11 before going to a pet store, pharmacy, and grocery store. Data suggested that was the last day she was known to be alive, Jarrell said.
Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths were ruled natural.
Early on, police debunked rumors of carbon monoxide poisoning, noting no evidence of a gas leak. They also noted no signs of forced entry despite the front door being open.
Roughly three to four cases of hantavirus are reported annually. In the southwest, the virus is deadly in 38 to 50 percent of cases.
[Feature Photo: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File]
