Gene Hackman and wife both died of natural causes, but a week apart, investigators confirm

nme.com:

was found dead with Arakawa and their dog in their New Mexico home on February 26, after neighbourhood security conducted a welfare check.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.Now, 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 died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a serious respiratory illness caused by exposure to infected rodents.She was last seen on 11 February, when she went to a farmers’ market, a pharmacy, and a pet store before returning home in the early evening.A New Mexico medical investigator said Hackman died from coronary artery disease, and his advanced Alzheimer’s meant it is possible that he was not aware his wife had died in their home several days earlier.

Data from Hackman’s pacemaker suggests he died on 18 February.The couple’s German Shepherd dog was found dead in a bathroom closet near Arakawa.