The mystery surrounding Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s tragic deaths had taken huge new turn. Police confirmed the date of death for Betsy had been changed after it was revealed the former concert pianist issued a two-word plea for help, as she called a emergency care specialist to beg for “esoteric treatment”. The couple were found dead in their Santa Fe home on February 26 by neighbourhood security with speculation over the causes ranging from murder/suicide to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office have now confirmed that Arakawa made multiple calls to a health clinic, but was unable to receive treatment. The office told Fox News: “We can now confirm that Mrs. Hackman’s phone was utilised on the morning of February 12 to call a medical center in Santa Fe called Cloudberry Health. A total of three calls were made that morning, all to the medical center. One incoming call was made to Mrs. Hackman from the same medical center that afternoon.”
Cloudberry Health confirmed this stating the 65-year-old called the medical concierge practice a number of times. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said: “That would indicate to me that she was seeking medical advice or medical help, and may have not been feeling well.”
Dr Josiah Child described Arakawa’s call as an inquiry about “esoteric treatment,” and cited symptoms including “some congestion”. He added however that she didn’t mention any respiratory distress, shortness of breath, or chest pain, the most common signs of hantavirus. He said his office called back twice, but said they never heard back. The doctor also revealed that Betsy had cancelled an appointment just days earlier, citing her husband’s ill health.
The revelation has only heightened the mystery as Dr Child expressed his astonishment over the findings. He said: “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.” He noted that “Most patients who have hantavirus die in hospital.” Betsy was diagnosed with the rare and fatal hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a disease spread by rodents. However, Dr. Child questioned the severity of her condition, noting that she showed no usual symptoms during their phone conversations.
From the results of the initial post-mortem, authorities believed Betsy, 65, had died first of hantavirus, a rare rat-borne disease, on February 11, before her husband Gene, 95, died a week later of heart failure combined with Alzheimer’s. However, Betsy’s doctor Dr Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist who now runs Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, revealed a bombshell piece of information that completely changed the timeline. Speaking to the Mail On Sunday, he said: “Mrs Hackman didn’t die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12.”
It was revealed earlier today that a New Mexico court has approved a temporary hold on the release of documents related to the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa containing sensitive footage and images. The temporary restraining order, which was granted on Monday (March 17), was submitted by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate.
It was intended to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Under the order, documents containing images or videos of the body of Hackman or Arakawa, the interior of their home, or their deceased animals cannot be released. Under the hold, the Office of the Medical Investigator is also unable to disclose post-mortem examination and death investigation reports.
