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• Tue Apr 15 2025

Rodent nests found near house where Gene Hackman's wife died of hantavirus

17 hours ago Share Save Ewan Somerville BBC News Share Save

Getty Images Gene Hackman with his wife Betsy Arakawa in 1986

Nests and some dead rodents were found in outbuildings of the house where Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead. New Mexico Department of Public Health records seen by BBC News documented evidence of the animals in eight detached buildings at their home in Santa Fe. US officials previously confirmed that Ms Arakawa, 65, died from a respiratory illness linked to hantavirus, which can be transmitted by infected rodents. It is believed she died a week before her husband, 95, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease. Authorities found the deceased couple in their home in February.

An environmental assessment of the property took place on 5 March, a week after they were discovered, as part of the investigation into their deaths. It found rodent faeces, a live rodent, dead rodent and a rodent nest in three garages, in addition to further rodent droppings in two small external houses and three sheds. Traps had also been set up. There were sightings of rodents, a nest and faeces in two abandoned vehicles or farming machinery in the grounds of the property. All eight detached outbuildings were within 50 yards (45 metres) of the main house where the couple lived, which itself was "clean with no signs of rodent activity," New Mexico public health officials said in their eight-page report.

Listen to the 911 call after two bodies found at Hackman residence