The weird things around the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife

Gene Hackman's 8,700 sq ft mansion in 12 ac Santa Fe property

Summary of events around the recent deaths of superstar actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, in Santa Fe, New Mexico:

Timeline and Circumstances

The timeline of events, reconstructed from official statements, pacemaker data, and last known communications, is as follows:

• February 11, 2025: Betsy Arakawa likely dies from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the bathroom. The space heater near her head may have fallen as she collapsed.
• February 11–18, 2025: Gene Hackman, suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, remains in the home, possibly unaware of his wife’s death. His heart condition worsens during this period, and the crated German Shepherd dies, likely from lack of care.
• February 18, 2025: Hackman suffers a fatal cardiac event and falls in the mudroom, where he is later found.
• February 18–26, 2025: The bodies remain undiscovered, with two dogs surviving independently. Maintenance workers and neighbors, accustomed to the couple’s privacy, do not immediately raise alarms despite lack of contact.
• February 26, 2025: The pest control worker and security officer discover the bodies, leading to the sheriff’s response and investigation.

That's all pretty weird. But for me, the weirdest is that the house and grounds above were being looked after by one small woman: Betsy Arakawa, 65. She was his wife. He was 95 and suffered from "advanced Alzheimer's". 

Imagine keeping the house above, 8,700+ sq. ft. and the 12 acres of grounds, imagine keeping that by yourself. You're not getting any help from Gene, as he's 95 and incapacitated by his Alzheimer's. They had another house on the property, one of 2,000 sq. ft., large itself. This could easily have housed a couple to look after the house and gardens. Then they needed another carer for Hackman himself. 

But, no, they had none of this. From all we can gather. So Betsy had to look after the house, all the dusting, vacuuming, cleaning, washing, looking after Gene -- and three large dogs, German Shepherds -- and then there's the grounds. Looking after this house, its size, is a huge job. Yet they had no help at all. Because Gene didn't like the attention he got in Hollywood, didn't like the paps. I get that. But then you take that to the extreme, by having zero help for a huge house and huge gardens? It may be that Gene became incapacitated by his disease before he realised that help was needed. Then became cranky when Betsy asked for it, which is what happens with Alzheimer's. Namely crankiness. 

Anyway, I thought it was sad. And weird. And unnecessary. They could have had a couple looking after them, and we'd still have Betsy at least. Gene was pretty old, but likely had his heart issues for not taking his med, because Betsy was dead and he forgot to take his meds. Or to feed the dogs.