Doctor claims Gene Hackman's wife called him 24 hours after police say she died
A doctor has claimed that Betsy Arakawa, the wife of Gene Hackman, called his office the day after police said she passed away
New testimony regarding the death of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has stated that the latter called a doctor a day after police claimed she had died.
Hackman was found dead with Arakawa and their dog in their New Mexico home on February 26, after neighbourhood security conducted a welfare check. Arakawa was 63, while Hackman was 95.
Though no foul play was initially suspected, their deaths were âsuspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigationâ, according to a search warrant affidavit.
There had been some speculation that the couple had died due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas leak, but authorities were quick to rule that out as a potential cause, with the Santa Fe County Sheriffâs Office issuing an update based on the New Mexico Gas Companyâs âextensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide at Gene Hackmanâs home,â conducted on the evening of February 26.
On March 8, investigators have confirmed the cause of death for both Hackman and Arakawa, finding that they both died of natural causes, but a week apart. Arakawa was said to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a serious respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rodents.
Data from Hackmanâs pacemaker suggests he died on February 18, a week after the proposed date of Arakawaâs passing.
Today (March 17), Dr Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist who now runs Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, New Mexico, refutes the date, telling MailOnline: âMrs Hackman didnât die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12.â
He continued: âSheâd 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. She made an appointment for herself for February 12.â
He stated that two days before she was due to see him, she cancelled her appointment, citing her husbandâs ill health.
Dr Child said: âShe called back on the morning of February 12 and spoke to one of our doctors who told her to come in that afternoon. We made her an appointment but she never showed up. She did not show any symptoms of respiratory distress. The appointment wasnât for anything related to hantavirus. We tried calling her a couple of times with no reply.â
A two-time Oscar winner know for films such as Unforgiven and The French Connection, Hackmanâs death last month was met with tributes from across the entertainment world. Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, and The Prince Of Wales were among those praising his career, and mourning his loss.