A new report has detailed how actor Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman had inquired about COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms before she died.
According to Fox News, detectives with the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department released footage of inside the couple’s home that was taken the day both bodies were discovered in February.
Investigators uncovered an email from Betsy to her therapist on Feb. 11 that Gene had taken a COVID-19 test after he had flu-like symptoms and had searched “COVID” at least four times before seeking medical attention at the Cloudberry Health Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The release of records was ordered by the First Judicial District Court, Santa Fe County, in which sheriffs offered condolences to the Hackman family and showed appreciation to first responders.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said it was their responsibility to be both compassionate and find solutions that kept the family’s dignity intact.
“Our statutory and fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers requires us to find compassionate and workable solutions that respect both public transparency requirements and a grieving family’s dignity,” Mendoza said.
Detectives reported that Betsy’s internet search history beginning Feb. 8 through 9 included “multiple searches related to flu and COVID symptoms.” On Feb. 10, Betsy also searched “flu and nosebleeds,” followed by “COVID nosebleeds,” and “can COVID cause dizziness?” only a few hours later.
Betsy wrote an email to Katia Van Horn on Feb. 11, “So, G woke up today with flu/cold-like symptoms, did a COVID test, negative. But out of an abundance of caution, I should cancel my appt tomorrow and rebook, say, in a couple weeks, last week of Feb if something is available…”
Van Horn told investigators that she had not seen Gene “for over a year,” but mentioned that he had previously “undergone surgery performed by a doctor in New York.”
Van Horn further said she had seen Betsy only a week before and Betsy had told her that she had hit a median barrier with her vehicle and was taking her car to a repair shop.
The final searches came on Feb. 12, which included inquiries on how long hyperbaric oxygen therapy would last and a search of the local medical center.
“This data suggests that Betsy was actively researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms in the days leading up to her death,” the report said.
The couple, who had been married for more than 30 years, were discovered in their home on Feb. 26.
Released footage of inside the Hackman home showed one of the couple’s dogs protecting Betsy’s body when they arrived. The couple had three dogs, Bear and Nikita reportedly helped locate Gene’s body, while the third, Zinna, was found in a crate not far from Betsy’s body, likely to have died from dehydration and starvation.
According to New Mexico officials, Betsy died from the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, while Gene died from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor.
Investigators further said Gene likely survived for at least a week until he died around Feb. 18, according to the last reading on his pacemaker, but was not discovered for another nine days.
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