The shocking deaths of Hollywood icon Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have taken a disturbing turn after a doctor challenged the official timeline. Dr. Josiah Child, a Santa Fe physician, claims Betsy contacted his clinic on February 12—a full day after police say she died.
Authorities initially stated that Betsy, 65, passed away on February 11 from hantavirus, a rare disease linked to rodents. Yet Dr. Child insists she called his office the next morning to reschedule a personal medical appointment.
"She was due to come in for a checkup unrelated to any lung issues," Dr. Child said. "She showed no signs of hantavirus symptoms during the call. But she never turned up for her visit."
Gene Hackman, 94, died on February 18 from heart disease compounded by severe Alzheimer's. Investigators believe he may not have realized his wife of 34 years had died, as his body was later found in a utility room with no food in his stomach.
The medical examiner, Dr. Heather Jarrell, confirmed Betsy's cause of death as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but deadly virus that can cause respiratory and heart failure. However, Dr. Child's revelation casts doubt on when exactly she died.
Betsy was found collapsed on the bathroom floor, surrounded by medication, while Hackman's body was found days later in a backroom. Tragically, one of their dogs, recovering from surgery, also died from starvation, hinting at the couple's isolation in their final days.
In a further twist, Hackman's will reportedly leaves nothing to his three children: Christopher, Leslie, and Elizabeth. Instead, the entirety of his $80 million fortune was left to Betsy. If both died within 90 days, her estate is said to be earmarked for several charities.
Sources say Hackman's son has already hired a top inheritance lawyer, setting the stage for a bitter legal battle.
Adding to the drama, paramedics revealed it was the couple's surviving dogs who ultimately led them to Hackman's body. "They wouldn't stop barking and led us straight to him," said Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya.
The dogs remain in limbo at a boarding facility until the wills are reviewed. Meanwhile, authorities have yet to say if Dr. Child's claims will prompt a deeper investigation into the couple's tragic and mysterious deaths.
