In what’s becoming an increasingly perplexing case, the tragic deaths of and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have taken another mysterious turn since they were found lifeless in their lavish Santa Fe abode last month. The deceased couple, Gene, aged 95, and his spouse, Betsy, were discovered in their opulent residence following a check by local security staff concerned for their wellbeing.
Recently, it was confirmed that the revered two-time Oscar laureate succumbed to heart disease. This revelation came shortly after it emerged his wife Betsy had passed away from an unusual illness at their home. Santa Fe’s sheriff disclosed in a press conference that Hackman, 95, might have spent a week alone with his wife’s remains before he ultimately died.
As this somber saga unfolds, additional shocking allegations have arisen amidst a sea of still-hovering queries. A startling development has surfaced involving an alleged phone call from Betsy. Contradicting the police account of her passing, her physician claimed she reached out to his clinic a day after the reported date of her death, reports
:
Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa died last month (Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
While a Santa Fe coroner stated that post-mortem results indicated Betsy’s demise on February 11, Dr Josiah Child of Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe conversely informed The Mail on Sunday that “Mrs Hackman didn’t die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12.”
In a surprising revelation, he shared: “She’d called me a couple of weeks before her death to ask about getting an echocardiogram [heart scan] for her husband. She was not a patient of mine, but one of my patients recommended Cloudberry to her. She made an appointment for herself for February 12. It was for something unrelated to anything respiratory.”
Dr Child further revealed that Betsy had cancelled her appointment two days prior, only to call back on the day itself. He said: “She called back on the morning of February 12 and spoke to one of our doctors who told her to come in that afternoon. We made her an appointment but she never showed up.”
Before their untimely demise, Gene and Betsy led a quiet existence in Santa Fe, residing in a secluded $3.5 million ranch home within a gated community. According to neighbours, the couple preferred their privacy.
One neighbour told the New York Times: “They have a gate, and we have a gate, and we just have never even seen each other.” Another resident echoed this sentiment: “He wanted to be quiet, he didn’t want to be bothered, and I don’t blame him.”
Reports suggest that the couple did not employ a housekeeper for their property, leading to its alleged deterioration. One source described the interior as “was shocking”, shedding light on the state of the home.
A confidant disclosed to MailOnline a rather discomforting detail about the late star’s residence: “They didn’t have a housekeeper or a maid, so it had beautiful things – furniture and paintings – but there was dog poop on the floor,” adding further disarray was evident inside the home. “The inside of the house was bad. Nothing had been dusted. There was nothing in the fridge.”
In a shocking twist following the couple’s untimely demise, Gene Hackman is reported to have bequeathed a prodigious £40million fortune to his spouse Betsy, overlooking his own progeny. This exclusion of his children from his will might ignite a legal skirmish for the sizeable inheritance.
Gene, who shared no offspring with Betsy, leaves behind three children from prior engagements – his son Christopher and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth. Betsy held significant control over the estate as successor trustee of Gene’s trust.
Gene Hackman and his wife were found in their home in Santa Fe (Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Don’t miss… [READ]
An extraordinary clause in their arrangement stipulates that if Gene and Betsy were to die within 90 days, all assets would be transferred to charity, leaving nothing to direct heirs.
State-side sources divulge that Gene’s eldest has engaged an eminent attorney with expertise in disputes over inheritances, which suggests the current arrangement may be contested. Without a pre-marital contract between Gene and his wife, his children’s claim as next of kin remains possible.
Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa (Image: Mirror / Reach)
Tragedy struck when one of the couple’s cherished dogs, a kelpie mix named Zinna, was found dead alongside her owner Betsy. The Santa Fe County animal control agency reported that Zinna’s body had undergone “partial mummification” in the crate where she was found near Betsy.
Dehydration and starvation were cited as the cause of death by officials, with the pet’s stomach containing only traces of hair and bile. Joey Padilla, from the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility, remembered Zinna as “an incredible companion” to Betsy.
After the alarming discovery by maintenance workers, the couple’s two other dogs, Bear and Nikita, aided authorities in locating their owners’ bodies and are now being looked after at the pet care establishment.