Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, reportedly died of hantavirus on 11 February, but a private healthcare clinic has questioned the official timing. Dr Josiah Child, head of Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, claims that Arakawa called his clinic on 12 February – just one day after police say she died.
Arakawa had initially visited the clinic for an unrelated appointment on 12 February, but cancelled two days before and then called again to reschedule. She spoke with a doctor who told her to come in that afternoon, but never showed up. The clinic did not find any symptoms of respiratory distress during their conversation.
The Santa Fe county sheriff’s office has now confirmed that Arakawa made multiple calls to the health clinic on 12 February. It is unclear why these calls were not disclosed earlier, as they were used to support the official date of death.
An autopsy revealed that Arakawa died from hantavirus, a rare respiratory disease. However, experts have questioned the rapid progression of the disease, which is usually a gradual process. “Respiratory failure is not sudden – it’s something that worsens over several days,” said a Los Angeles-based doctor.
The Hackman estate initially sought to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports related to the couple’s deaths.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/20/santa-fe-clinic-says-gene-hackman-wife-betsy-arakawa-called-day-after-police-say-she-died