NATIONAL NEWS

Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife, died from hantavirus, autopsy confirms

Apr 29, 2025, 10:05 AM

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Aw...

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Betsy Arakawa, the concert pianist who was married to actor Gene Hackman, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to an autopsy report released Tuesday that said that her lungs were heavy and congested.

Arakawa, 65, had fluid accumulation in her chest and mild hardening of the vessels that supplied blood to the heart and body, according to the autopsy reports

Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.

Arakawa tested negative for COVID-19 and the flu and showed no signs of trauma, the autopsy report said. Her carbon monoxide levels were within normal range, and she tested positive for caffeine and negative for alcohol and intoxicating drugs.

Arakawa’s autopsy and toxicology reports were released two days after similar documents on Hackman’s death were made public, confirming his main cause of death was heart disease.

The 95-year-old actor also was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and likely had not eaten for a long time, according to his autopsy. He tested negative for hantavirus.

Records released earlier in the investigation showed Arakawa made phone calls and internet searches as she scoured for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.

Recently released videos outline the scope of the investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa.

Before they understood how Hackman and Arakawa died, authorities recorded themselves conducting interviews with workers and returning to Hackman’s home to search for more evidence. Detectives searched the home in early March for Arakawa’s laptop and other clues.

National News

Associated Press

Editorial Roundup: United States

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: ___ April 29 The Washington Post says “this time” the US should stop a genocide This month marked a grim milestone for Sudan, the unfortunate African country suffering what is considered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. On April 15, the country’s brutal civil war entered […]

2 minutes ago

A view of the exterior shows a 3D printed Starbucks building Monday, April 28, 2025, in Brownsville...

Associated Press

Starbucks’ new drive-thru in Texas is the coffee giant’s first 3D printed store in the US

There’s a new pour from Starbucks: Its first 3D printed store in the U.S. The Seattle-based coffee giant with more than 17,000 locations nationwide has never had a store quite like the one opening this week in the Texas city of Brownsville, along the U.S.-Mexico border, where a computer-controlled robotic arm did much of the […]

3 minutes ago

People gather on the steps of the Washington State Capitol Building during a rally advocating for l...

Associated Press

Washington lawmakers pass rent-control bill, approve unemployment for striking workers

In the final days of the Washington legislative session, lawmakers hashed out agreements to approve a bill that sets limits on rent increases and a measure that gives striking workers unemployment benefits. The two bills await decisions by Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat. If signed into law, the rent stabilization bill would be among the […]

17 minutes ago

Associated Press

Californian connected to Wisconsin school shooter barred from owning guns for 3 years

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California man who authorities said exchanged messages with a 15-year-old girl who fatally shot two people at a religious school in Wisconsin has been barred from owning or possessing firearms for three years. A San Diego Superior Court judge on Monday approved a restraining order against Alexander Paffendorf that was […]

21 minutes ago

FILE - Border Patrol agents and members of the military look towards Tijuana, Mexico, as they stand...

Associated Press

US judge bars Border Patrol from some warrantless arrests of suspected undocumented residents

A federal judge in California has barred Border Patrol agents from arresting someone suspected of living in the U.S. illegally unless they have a warrant or a reason to believe the person might flee before a warrant can be obtained. Tuesday’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston also says Border Patrol agents can’t […]

28 minutes ago

FILE - A black flag with white lettering lies on the ground rolled up behind a pickup truck that a ...

Associated Press

Iraq detains Islamic State suspect accused of helping to incite New Orleans truck ramming attack

An official with the Islamic State group has been detained in Iraq, suspected of being involved with inciting the pickup truck-ramming attack in New Orleans that killed more than a dozen people celebrating the start of 2025, Iraqi authorities said. Iraqi authorities had received requests from the U.S. to help in the investigation of the […]

41 minutes ago

Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman’s wife, died from hantavirus, autopsy confirms