On Feb. 26, the world was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of legendary actor Gene Hackman. Hackman, along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs were found dead in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home after a worried maintenance worker saw them through a window and contacted security to check on them.
Hackman was 95 years old. Arakawa was 65.
It was apparent they had been dead for quite some time. When people read stories about bodies being found in the manner Hackman’s (in a mudroom alongside his cane) and Arakawa’s (in a bathroom next to scattered pills) were, it sparks speculation as to what could have happened.
Though police indicated almost right away that they had ruled out foul play, some still wondered if it was a murder-suicide. Others wondered if maybe it was carbon monoxide poisoning, but that was also ruled out early on.
A week and a half after their bodies were discovered, the medical examiner’s office revealed the causes of death.
Arakawa died from hantavirus, a rare disease that can mimic flu-like symptoms early on and causes breathing problems as it progresses. It is primarily contracted through contact with droppings from infected rodents. The estimated date of her death was Feb. 11.
Hackman, who had heart disease and Alzheimer’s, is believed to have died a week later from natural causes. The autopsy indicated he hadn’t eaten in a while.
One of their three dogs, an Australian Kelpie mix named Zinna, spent their last days in a closed kennel and possibly had not eaten or had anything to drink after Arakawa’s death.
Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, it appears that after Arakawa, who was Hackman’s caregiver, passed away, it was likely that Hackman either didn’t know or didn’t understand what had happened and may have been unable to care for himself or Zinna.
From a caregiver’s perspective, what happened especially hit home for me and made me wonder why so much time went by before anyone noticed something was amiss.
Though every family is different, in my family, my mom, sisters and I communicate with each other every day, usually by at least one phone call, text or email. My sisters know that if they don’t hear from us in a 24-hour period, they should stop by to check to make sure everything is OK.
My mom knows that if something happens to me, she needs to contact 911 and then let my sisters know so she can be taken care of in my absence.
I don’t know much about their situation, but I can’t help but wonder if the family had been more communicative with Hackman and Arakawa, maybe Hackman could have been found alive.
One of the daughters was quoted as saying she hadn’t talked to Hackman in months. Just my personal opinion, but even in situations where family members live far away from each other and have busy lives, communicating at least once a week would be a good idea if for no other reason than to let each other know you still care about them and what’s going on in each other’s lives.
We’ll never know the full story about what happened, and we can only speculate as to what might have been had it been discovered sooner that Arakawa had passed away.
But one thing we can all agree on is that it was an absolutely heartbreaking and tragic end for the couple and their dog, who by local accounts lived quiet and fulfilling lives until their health problems began taking their respective tolls.
North Carolina native Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah and is a media analyst and regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
