Gene Hackman’s infested home exposed.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s $4M estate was crawling with filth.
Gene and Betsy’s longtime love highlighted.
The couple had been married for over three decades, since 1991.
Hackman, once one of Hollywood’s most respected stars, had been living a quiet life in Santa Fe.
He stepped back from acting in 2004, but remained beloved for roles in The French Connection and Unforgiven.
Arakawa, a gifted musician and former business owner, kept a lower public profile.
Their estate, reportedly worth $4 million, was nestled in rural New Mexico.
Neighbors say they rarely saw the couple in recent years.
Gene Hackman and wife’s deaths profiled.
Gene Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead on February 26.
An autopsy revealed that Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
The illness is rare but deadly — transmitted through rodent urine, saliva, or droppings.
It’s not airborne, but humans can contract it by inhaling contaminated particles.
Arakawa, a classical pianist, is believed to have died on February 12.
Hackman’s death came six days later, on February 18.
The couple were found in different rooms — she in the bathroom, he near the kitchen.
Hackman died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
He was also suffering from Alzheimer’s, which may have impaired his awareness.
New Mexico’s Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Heather Jarrell, said Hackman likely didn’t know Arakawa had died.
The actor’s pacemaker had stopped nine days before their bodies were found.
Their deaths shocked fans — but it’s what was found afterward that’s even more disturbing.
A health inspection was conducted in March, shortly after the couple’s bodies were discovered.
Gene Hackman’s home described.
The New Mexico property was declared a “breeding ground for infestation” in an official state report.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, investigators uncovered droppings, rodent nests, and carcasses.
The gruesome findings spanned across eight buildings — including sheds, garages, and even vehicles.
But nearly every other structure was teeming with rodent evidence.
Three detached garages had both dead and living rodents.
Investigators also found evidence that the couple had been trying to manage the problem.
Rodent traps were placed across multiple areas of the estate, suggesting awareness of the infestation.
Despite their efforts, it may have been too late.
Signs of tragedy hidden in plain sight.
In hindsight, signs of trouble were there — the traps, the isolation, the silence.
But no one could’ve predicted that a home once filled with art and acclaim would become a biohazard.
And now, Gene Hackman’s final scene is marked not by applause, but by infestation and loss.