Gene Hackman’s wife’s final hours and tragic note as harrowing bodycam footage released

Tragic bodycam footage sheds light on classical pianist Betsy Arakawa’s desperate final hours before she died from hantavirus at her Santa Fe home

A year has passed since the deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, with distressing bodycam footage revealing her final moments.

Their bodies were found in a partially mummified state at their Santa Fe, New Mexico residence on February 26, with the circumstances of their passing proving deeply disturbing. Authorities later determined that Betsy, 65, had fallen victim to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a rare disease spread by rodents.

Her 95-year-old husband Gene, who she had devotedly cared for until her final breath, perished approximately one week afterwards from cardiac complications, with his severe Alzheimer’s condition also playing a role.

Tragically, Gene’s deteriorating mental state may have meant he remained unaware that his beloved wife of 34 years had already died. Gene endured his last days in isolation within the mansion they had lovingly created together. Police bodycam recordings from the property illuminate Betsy’s desperate struggle, as she battled what she mistakenly thought were COVID symptoms.

Police uncovered frantic internet searches for COVID-19 symptoms on Betsy’s laptop during their investigation of the property, revealing the musician’s mounting anxiety about her deteriorating health. Browser bookmarks saved on February 8 and 12 – the date she’s believed to have passed away – highlighted two specific symptoms she was battling, now known to have been caused by the hantavirus, reports the Mirror.

Betsy’s desperate Google queries included whether COVID could trigger dizziness or nosebleeds, with specific searches for “can COVID cause dizziness?” and “Flu and nosebleeds”. Excruciating headaches rank amongst hantavirus’s main warning signs, affecting around half of all sufferers. Nosebleeds, however, are less common.

Last correspondence

Among Betsy’s final emails was one sent to her massage therapist on February 11, roughly 24 hours before her death. She’d been writing to postpone her treatment due to ongoing symptoms.

While she remained convinced these might be coronavirus-related, she also noted she’d received a negative test result. Stating she wanted to cancel the appointment “out of an abundance of caution.” Betsy told her therapist that Gene had woken up with flu or cold-like symptoms, though he’d also tested negative.

Betsy made an Amazon purchase On 11 February for oxygen canisters. The cannisters are presumed to have been acquired for “respiratory support” – this distressing buy suggests that either she or Gene was struggling with breathing issues. Some manufacturers propose that regular use of oxygen canisters can help alleviate fatigue and provide natural detoxification.

Medication chaos

Images taken inside the Hackman home revealed a disordered array of medication strewn across the bathroom sink unit. Two medicine containers took centre stage on the cabinet, with one left open, spilling numerous tablets onto the surface next to it.

At least two more medicine containers were visible in a partially opened drawer below. Face creams, makeup, stationery, old receipts, discarded toothpaste packaging, and even a trophy cluttered the countertop around the sink.

Chilling final appearance

Betsy’s last public sighting was recorded on CCTV footage in a supermarket on 11 February. She was seen wearing a black face mask in a Sprouts Grocery Market store in Santa Fe around 4 pm and was later spotted in a nearby Shine Pet Food store, clad in blue jeans, a scarf and a coat, along with a black face mask as she browsed the shop.

Endearing love notes

Romantic letters unveil the couple’s profound devotion to one another. The duo, who wed in 1991, shared their emotions through these delightful handwritten notes, with the iconic star always concluding with: “Love, G.”

While the precise timing of these messages remains unclear, Gene is revealed to have penned these tender words to his “lovely girl” Betsy. One message stated: “Morning, lovely girl, thinking of you and the other little guys. Love G.”

In a separate letter, Gene appears to recognise his medical struggles, while trying to bring some levity to the circumstances.

He penned: “Ho, Ho, I am off to see the Wizard, the Wizz of Achie, Pokie. She stabs me here and stabs me there, she stabs me almost everywhere (almost). But I’ll survive because after I am still alive. (But sometimes just barely). Love G.”

In yet another, he wrote: “I’m going down to that building out past the hot water place where you sit, and do whatever it is that people are supposed to do in such a building – maybe I’ll remember once I get down there.”

Rodent problem

A health inspection carried out by the New Mexico Department of Public Health a week after the pair’s bodies were discovered revealed dead rodents and their nests in “eight detached outbuildings” on the Hackman property. This allegedly transformed their $4 million estate into a “breeding ground” for the lethal hantavirus, according to TMZ.

Typically, the fatal hantavirus spreads through rodent urine and faeces that people later come into contact with. Droppings were discovered in three garages, two casitas, and three sheds throughout Gene and Betsy’s extensive estate. According to the American outlet, inspectors found a living rodent, a deceased rodent and a rodent nest in three additional garages.

The health inspection was carried out to safeguard first responders or anyone else who might access the property from the virus.