Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, called a medical concierge service in Santa Fe one day after authorities previously reported her last known activity and two weeks before she and Hackman were found dead, investigators confirmed Monday.
Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were found in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26. Officials said autopsies showed Hackman died of heart disease and Arakawa died from hantavirus, a rare respiratory illness spread mainly by rodents. It is believed Arakawa died days before Hackman and both bodies showed signs of decomposition, officials previously said.
Prior to getting access to phone records, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said earlier this month that Arakawa’s last known communication and activity was on Feb. 11. On that day, she had exchanged emails with a massage therapist and was seen at a local grocery store, CVS and pet food store.
Cellphone records, however, showed Arakawa made three calls the morning of Feb. 12, the sheriff’s office said in a statement. All three calls were to Cloudberry Health, which provides medical concierge services, in Santa Fe.
There also was one incoming call from Cloudberry Health in the afternoon that Arakawa appeared to miss, the sheriff’s office said.
No other information about the calls was released Monday.
It remains unclear how and when exactly Arakawa got hantavirus. The disease spreads from animals, mainly rodents, to humans. Hackman tested negative for the virus.
Hackman was also suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, which contributed to his death, the state’s chief medical investigator said.
One of the couple’s three dogs was also found dead in their home. Arakawa had brought the kelpie mix named Zinna home from a veterinary hospital on Feb. 9 after a procedure, Mendoza said. The dog likely died of starvation and dehydration, according to report obtained by The Associated Press.
