A doctor has cast doubt on the reported timeline of Betsy Arakawa’s death, claiming she called his clinic a full 24 hours after officials say she had already passed.
Betsy, the longtime wife of Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, was officially recorded as having died on February 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and often fatal disease linked to rodent exposure. Her husband, suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, passed away a week later on February 18.
However, Dr. Josiah Child, an emergency care specialist and operator of Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, told *The Daily Mail* that Betsy couldn’t have died on February 11—because she allegedly called his clinic on February 12.
Dr. Child recalled that Betsy had reached out to his clinic a few weeks prior to inquire about an echocardiogram for her husband. Though she was not a patient of his, a former patient had recommended Cloudberry Health to her.
“She made an appointment for herself for February 12,” Child said. “It was for something unrelated to anything respiratory.”
Two days before that appointment, Betsy canceled, citing her husband’s declining health. Afterward, the clinic attempted to contact her, but received no response.
Hantavirus is typically transmitted through exposure to rodent urine, droppings, and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus is known for causing severe respiratory distress, with most patients succumbing in a hospital setting.
“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 to be in respiratory distress,” Dr. Child noted, while also clarifying that he is not an expert in hantavirus cases.
His concerns add to lingering questions about Betsy’s death. Her husband, already battling severe cognitive decline, was reportedly alone in their home for several days following her passing. It remains unclear if he was aware of her death.
Gene Hackman, a two-time Academy Award-winning actor, was last detected alive on February 18 when his pacemaker transmitted its final signal. The medical examiner determined his cause of death as hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiac disease, noting that his Alzheimer’s played a “significant” role. Notably, Hackman tested negative for hantavirus, according to Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell.
The bodies of both Hackman and Arakawa were not discovered until February 26, when a concerned neighbor and caretaker called 911 after finding them unresponsive in their home. The couple had largely withdrawn from public life in their later years, residing in a secluded cul-de-sac within a gated community. Hackman is survived by three children—two daughters and a son—from his previous marriage.
