Investigations: Death puzzles informed: Hackman and his wife died of this

According to investigators, actual deaths have died of natural death. The autopsy of the corpses also pointed out that Arakawa had died a week before her husband, said medical investigator Heather Jarrell.

The Oscar winner with Alzheimer’s then passed on with her body in the house on the property in Santa Fe in the US state of New Mexico for days. “It may well be that he was not aware of her death,” said Jarrell at a press conference.

The investigator also announced that the 65-year-old probably died on February 11 of a disease triggered by so-called Hantaviruses. The pathogens affect the respiratory tract. Hackman himself was probably a week later, on February 18, a cardiovascular disease. Both were found on February 26, when a concerned neighbor asked the authorities to look at their well -being.

The examinations had also confirmed the advanced Alzheimer’s disease of the 95-year-old. “He was in a very bad state of health and had a serious heart disease. And I think that was ultimately the cause of his death,” concluded the doctor.

What triggers Hantaviruses?

Hantaviruses are transferred to humans via rodents such as mice or rats. The special sin-nombre havavirus, which led to the death of Betsy Arakawa, mostly gets from deer smears (peromyscus maniculatus). These small rodents live in North and Central America. In Germany, other virus types are transferred, mainly via the red mouse and the fire mouse.

In Germany, dozens of to hundreds of illnesses are reported with the virus every year. In the United States there are fewer – but most reports come from the state of New Mexico, where Hackman and Arakawa lived. From there, one to seven cases a year have been reported in recent years.

The Sin Nombre Hantavirus initially leads to flu-like symptoms, explained the senior forensic doctor in New Mexico, Heather Jarrell. After all, shortness of breath and heart and lung failure could follow. “The mortality rate of the Hanta virus type in the southwest is 38 to 50 percent.”

People can get infected with the virus if they inhale whirled up dust that contains urine, feces or saliva of the animals. This can happen, for example, when cleaning. Passion is also possible via a bite of animals or injuries in the skin, into the contaminated earth. Viruses are not transferred from person to person.

“Most of the transmissions take place in the area of ​​the place of residence or the workplace of the patient,” said state veterinarian Erin Phipps. Experts examined the Hackman and Arakawa house. “We assessed the risk of exposure in the main residence as low, similar to other well -kept houses in New Mexico.” However, rodent infestation in other buildings on the property was found.

Heart pacemaker data provide information

Since the dead couple was discovered together with a dead dog on Wednesday last week, the investigation has been in full swing. An analysis by Hackman’s pacemaker showed that the last heart activities were recorded on February 18.

Arakawa was last seen on recordings of surveillance cameras of a drugstore from February 11th. After that there was no longer a sign of life. E-mails, for example, remained unanswered.

A comprehensive examination had been initiated because of the unusual circumstances and prominence of the couple. While Arakawa’s body was lying on the floor in the bathroom, Hackman’s lifeless body was found in the entrance area of ​​the house. In addition to the dead dog, the investigators found two other dogs that were still alive.

The investigators excluded a crime early on. The first results brought no evidence of traces of external violence. Even carbon monoxide poisoning, such as a gas leak, was not found.

Hackman and Arakawa lived very withdrawn

Although the investigation now seems to be largely completed, there are no clear answers to some questions: it remains open why the death of the two did not notice employees or nurses earlier. In fact, Hackman and Arakawa lived very well. According to the couple of media reports, the neighbors hardly saw it.

Hackman was one of the most outstanding actors in his generation. The two-time Oscar winner achieved world fame with films such as “French Connection” (1971), “The Conversation” (1974) and “Merciless” (1992). In the early 2000s, he finally pulled back out of the spotlight.