Doctor Claims Gene Hackman's Wife Called Him 24 Hours After Police Say She Died
Hackman, Arakawa, and one of their three dogs were found dead in their home in New Mexico on February 26, with the initial suspicion being that they died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, law enforcement officials from Santa Fe County revealed that Arakawa died of Hantavirus on February 11, while Hackman died seven days later due to hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's being a contributing factor.
The circumstances surrounding Arakawa and Hackman's deaths continue to generate confusion, with a doctor now adding another angle to the mystery.
On Saturday, Dr. Josiah Child told the Daily Mail that officers were wrong about Arakawa's day of death.
He said, "Mrs. Hackman didn't die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12."
Child, a former emergency care specialist who now runs Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, explained further, "She'd called me a couple of weeks before her death to ask about getting an echocardiogram [heart scan] for her husband. She was not a patient of mine, but one of my patients recommended Cloudberry to her."
He also said, "She made an appointment for herself for February 12. It was for something unrelated to anything respiratory."
The doctor said Arakawa canceled her appointment two days before she was to see him because Gene Hackman was unwell.
He also revealed, "She called back on the morning of February 12 and spoke to one of our doctors who told her to come in that afternoon."
Dr. Child said, "We made her an appointment but she never showed up. She did not show any symptoms of respiratory distress."
He added, "The appointment wasn't for anything related to hantavirus. We tried calling her a couple of times with no reply."
The doctor's revelations that Arakawa was alive on the day the coroner claimed she died adds another layer of mystery to an already stressful situation.
However, Dr. Child is also disputing that hantavirus is the cause of Arakawa's death as she showed no signs of "respiratory distress."
He said, "I am not a hantavirus expert but most patients who have that diagnosis die in hospital. It is surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn't appear in respiratory distress."
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles-based doctor spoke to the outlet on Sunday and cast more doubt on hantavirus being the cause of Arakawa's demise.
They said, "Medical professionals are all scratching their heads over hantavirus as the cause of death. Respiratory failure is not sudden – it is something that worsens over several days."
The doctor concluded, "Most people get admitted to the ER [emergency room] because they are having trouble breathing. It's exceedingly rare for a seemingly healthy 65-year-old to drop dead of it. In fact, no one's heard of such a thing."
On February 11, 2025, Arakawa, 65, reportedly carried out her usual activities, visiting a grocery store, pharmacy, and pet food shop before returning home to Santa Fe.
Authorities believe she died that same day from hantavirus, a rare but deadly disease linked to rodent droppings.
Following her passing, there was no further communication or activity from her.
Hackman, 95, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, was likely unaware of his wife's death. His pacemaker data recorded heart activity on February 17, with an irregular rhythm on February 18, suggesting he passed away that day due to heart disease.
Arakawa and Hackman's bodies were found on February 26 when a maintenance worker reported them unresponsive. Authorities ruled both deaths as natural causes—Arakawa from hantavirus and Hackman from heart disease, with Alzheimer's as a contributing factor.
Meanwhile, Bruce Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, reflected on the couple's death, stressing the need to support caregivers.
She highlighted how Arakawa, Hackman's caregiver, passed away a week before him, reinforcing the challenges caregivers face.
Drawing from her own experience caring for Bruce, who has frontotemporal dementia, Emma urged people to recognize caregivers' struggles.
She debunked the myth that caregivers "have it all figured out," insisting they also need care. In an Instagram post, she emphasized, "Caregivers need care too. Period. Full stop."
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NBC News
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Yahoo
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