Records show Gene Hackman's wife researched symptoms of illness days before her death

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities on Tuesday released a trove of records related to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, including a lengthy investigation report detailing some of the last emails, phone calls and internet searches by Hackman's wife indicating that she had been scouring for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.

Betsy Arakawa died in February of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a rare, rodent-borne disease that can lead to a range of symptoms that include flu-like illness, headaches, dizziness and severe respiratory distress, investigators have said. Hackman is believed to have died about a week later of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

The partially mummified remains of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found in their Santa Fe home Feb. 26, when maintenance and security workers showed up at the home and alerted police.

Photos, hours of footage and other documents were made public Tuesday after a recent court order that mandated any depictions of the deceased couple would be blocked from view. Authorities said additional records including dashboard camera footage could later be released.

The records had been restricted from release by an earlier, temporary court order. The Hackman estate and family members had sought to keep the records sealed to protect the family’s privacy.

According to the lengthy investigation report, a review of Arakawa's computer showed she was actively researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms between Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12. The searches included questions about whether COVID-19 could cause dizziness or nosebleeds.

She also had mentioned in an email to her massage therapist that Hackman had woken up Feb. 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms but that a COVID-19 test was negative and she would have to reschedule her appointment for the next day “out of an abundance of caution.”

Arakawa's search history also showed a query for a concierge medical service in Santa Fe the morning of Feb. 12. A review of her phone records by investigators showed she had a call with the service that lasted less than two minutes and missed a return call later that afternoon.

Investigators reviewed a call history to the home phone along with voicemails and security footage from stores that Arakawa had visited Feb. 11.

The redacted police body camera footage showed investigators working inside the home as they tried to piece together what had happened to the couple.

Investigators found one of the couple's dogs sitting in the bathroom near Arakawa's body. They then walked to the other side of the house, where Hackman was found dead.

“Two totally separate areas of the house,” an officer comments.

“Mhm, it’s strange,” another responds.

The officers, worried about a possible gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning, opened doors and windows around the house. Subsequent testing showed there were no leaks.

The footage showed them going through rooms of the home and finding nothing out of the ordinary and no signs of forced entry, with the couple’s art collection still adorning shelves and walls throughout. The investigators also can be seen counting cash that was found around the home and looking at the prescription medication on the bathroom counter as one of the couple’s dog barked in the background.

An environmental assessment of the Hackman property by state health personnel found rodent feces in several outbuildings along with live traps on the property. There was no evidence of rodent activity inside the home.

Nestled among the piñon and juniper hills overlooking Santa Fe, the Hackman home is not unlike others in the area as mice are common within the surrounding landscape.

One of the couple’s three dogs also was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, while two other dogs were found alive. A state veterinary lab tied the dog’s death to dehydration and starvation.

An attorney for the estate, Kurt Sommer, argued during a hearing last month that the couple had taken great pains to stay out of the public light during their lifetimes and that the right to control the use of their names and likenesses should extend to their estate in death.

The Associated Press, CBS News and CBS Studios intervened in the matter, saying in court filings that they would not disseminate images of the couple’s bodies and would blur images to obscure them from other records.

Associated Press writers Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report.

This is an undated image provided by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office during the course of their investigation and search of the home of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, where the two were found dead Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Santa Fe County Sheriff via AP)

This is an undated image provided by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office during the course of their investigation and search of the home of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, where the two were found dead Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Santa Fe County Sheriff via AP)

This is an undated image provided by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office during the course of their investigation and search of the home of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, where the two were found dead Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Santa Fe County Sheriff via AP)

FILE - Actor Gene Hackman arrives with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, for the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., Jan. 19, 2003. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

FILE - Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Feb. 27, 2025 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (AP Photo/Roberto Rosales, file)

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares were trading mixed Tuesday amid global skepticism about U.S. investments and President Donald Trump’s trade war.

France's CAC 40 dipped 0.8% in early trading to 7,225.85, while the German DAX declined 0.4% to 21,119.56. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.2% to 8,295.82. U.S. futures were set to drift higher with Dow futures up 0.8% at 38,647.00. S&P 500 futures rose 0.9% to 5,231.50.

Trading was cautious in Asia, where the benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.2% to finish at 34,220.60. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, inching down less than 0.1% to 7,816.70. South Korea's Kospi lost nearly 0.1% to 2,486.64. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added nearly 0.8% to 21,562.32, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.3% to 3,299.76.

Trump's tariffs and the retaliatory measures from China hang as a shadow over the region.

"Across Asia, there is undoubtedly a sense of urgency to get to the negotiation table even as striking a deal at an appropriate cost can be tough," said Tan Boon Heng, at Mizuho Bank's Asia & Oceania Treasury Department.

“China’s warning to countries not to resolve U.S. tariffs by striking deals at the expense of Beijing’s interests reveals the geo-economic polarization.”

Wall Street tumbled on Monday partly because of Trump's attacks against Jerome Powell, the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, demanding that the central bank lower its key interest rate to boost the economy. Trump called Powell “a major loser” and said that energy and grocery prices are “substantially lower.”

On Friday, a top White House adviser said the administration is studying whether it can fire Powell, a move that would undermine the Fed’s independence and likely send shock waves through global financial markets.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained 97 cents to $64.05 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose $1.00 to $67.21 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 140.42 Japanese yen from 140.80 yen. The dollar has been weakening lately against the yen, and traded momentarily as low as 139 yen levels during the day. The euro cost $1.1509, down from $1.1514.

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)