Doctor claims Gene Hackman’s wife called clinic day after reported death
A Santa Fe doctor has made a shocking claim that could upend the official timeline of Betsy Arakawa’s death.
Dr Josiah Child, who runs Cloudberry Health in New Mexico, insists that Arakawa, the wife of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, contacted his clinic on February 12.
This directly contradicts the medical examiner’s conclusion that she died on February 11.
“Mrs Hackman didn’t die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12,” Dr Child told The Mail on Sunday.
The couple were found dead in their Santa Fe home in February, with officials initially stating that Arakawa, 65, died from hantavirus a week before her 95-year-old husband.
If true, these claims could alter understanding of the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Dr Child provided detailed information about his interactions with Arakawa.
“She’d called me a couple of weeks before her death to ask about getting an echocardiogram [heart scan] for her husband,” he explained.
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“She was not a patient of mine, but one of my patients recommended Cloudberry to her.”
According to Dr Child, Arakawa had scheduled an appointment for February 12 for an issue unrelated to respiratory problems.
He claims she cancelled two days before due to Hackman feeling unwell.
“She called back on the morning of February 12 and spoke to one of our doctors who told her to come in that afternoon,” Dr Child said.
“We made her an appointment but she never showed up. She did not show any symptoms of respiratory distress.”
The clinic reportedly tried calling her multiple times after she missed the appointment but received no reply.
The couple’s bodies were discovered in separate areas of their home, with Hackman found in a mudroom and Arakawa in the bathroom.
According to the Santa Fe medical examiner, Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rat-borne respiratory disease.
Hackman passed away on 18 February due to “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor.”
His pacemaker confirmed the date of death, and a post-mortem found no food in his stomach.
Dr Heather Jarrell, New Mexico’s chief medical examiner, stated it was “reasonable to conclude” Arakawa had died on 11 February.
She explained that hantavirus infection typically begins with flu-like symptoms that can progress to shortness of breath and cardiac or lung failure.
The disease has a mortality rate of about 38% to 50% in the southwestern United States.
The doctor’s claims raise significant questions about the official investigation.
“I am not a hantavirus expert but most patients who have that diagnosis die in hospital,” Dr Child noted.
“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 in respiratory distress.”
The tragedy extended to the couple’s pets, with one of their three dogs, Zinna, dying of starvation and dehydration after being found in a bathroom cupboard.