Rodent Nests Found Near House Where Gene Hackman’s Wife Died Of Hantavirus

Evidence of rodents, including nests and dead rodents, was found in outbuildings at the New Mexico home of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, who died from hantavirus. Medical reports suggest that Arakawa, 65, contracted hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and died a week before her 95-year-old husband, who had advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Environmental assessments revealed rodent activity in the outbuildings, while the main house was clean. The couple’s bodies were discovered in February, with Gene Hackman’s cause of death was attributed to severe heart disease, with Alzheimer’s impairing his awareness of his wife’s passing. (BBC)