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What Happened to Gene Hackman & His Wife Betsy? Their Deaths

The late ‘French Connection’ star and his wife were both found dead in February 2025 alongside their dog at home in New Mexico. Get updates on the case here.

While police initially said they didn’t suspect foul play, TMZ obtained a search warrant, which revealed that a Sante Fe detective called Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths “suspicious.” The outlet further reported that the deputy noticed an opened prescription pill bottle on the countertop near Arakawa, and her body was in a statement of decomposition with facial “bloating” and “mummification in her hands and feet.” Hackman was discovered dead in another room fully clothed, and cops suspected he had fallen because his sunglasses were found next to him. The outlet reported that surveillance footage of Arakawa is believed to have died on February 11, 2025, and her cause of death was hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a severe respiratory illness transmitted through rodent urine, droppings and saliva.

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