Gene Hackman and his wife’s bodies have not been claimed a month after deaths

nme.com:

found dead with Betsy Arakawa and their dog in their New Mexico home on February 26, after neighbourhood security conducted a welfare check.

Arakawa was 65, while Hackman was 95.Though no foul play was initially suspected, their deaths were “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation”, according to a search warrant affidavit.There had been some speculation that the couple had died due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas leak, but authorities were quick to rule that out as a potential cause, with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office issuing an update based on the New Mexico Gas Company’s “extensive investigation for gas leaks and carbon monoxide at Gene Hackman’s home,” conducted on the evening of February 26.On March 8, investigators have confirmed the cause of death for both Hackman and Arakawa, finding that they both died of natural causes, but a week apart.

Arakawa was said to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a serious respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rodents.

Data from Hackman’s pacemaker suggests he died on February 18, a week after the proposed date of Arakawa’s passing.According to TMZ, the bodies of Hackman and Arakawa have still not been claimed by family members despite being discovered a month ago.