Gene Hackman Bombshell: Doctor Claims Wife Called Him 24 Hours After Officers Said She Died — as Drama Explodes Over Actor's Inheritance
Questions continue to linger over the circumstances of their deaths.
March 16 2025, Published 11:15 a.m. ET
Questions have arisen concerning the timeline of events leading up to the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Dr. Josiah Child, a medical professional from Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, has contradicted the initial report from the Santa Fe medical examiner, claiming Arakawa, 65, died a week before her husband, 95.
An initial police report also misidentified which one of the couple's three dogs died in the home.
According to Dr. Child, Hackman's wife reached out to his clinic on February 12, a day after the medical examiner stated as the date of her passing. Additionally, she had canceled a prior appointment, citing her husband's poor health as the reason.
The medical examiner had attributed Arakawa death to hantavirus, a rare respiratory disease transmitted by rodents, on February 11.
They claimed she died a week before the Mississippi Burning actor succumbed to heart failure and Alzheimer's disease on February 18.
Dr. Child 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. She did not show any symptoms of respiratory distress. The appointment wasn't for anything related to hantavirus. We tried calling her a couple of times with no reply."
Questions still surround their deaths.
The couple were found in their Santa Fe home, with Betsy on the bathroom floor surrounded by pills and Gene in a utility room nearby.
Tragically, one of their dogs also died due to starvation and dehydration.
Dementia-riddled Hackman was likely left alone for days after his wife's unexpected passing.
Dr. Child's revelation has added a layer of mystery to the circumstances surrounding Awakawa's death as the drama surrounding the Hollywood actor's inheritance blows up.
According to California attorney Tre Lovell, the actor's will, last updated in 2005, named the actor's wife as the sole beneficiary.
If she died before Hackman, the estate could bypass the will altogether.
Legal experts claimed this timeline could mean Hackman's estate defaults to his three children, Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58, under intestate succession laws.
Hackman and Arakawa moved to New Mexico after choosing to leave Hollywood and live away from the spotlight.
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Lovell stated: "The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws, and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit."
The state attorney also claimed the actor's will was last updated in 2005.
Awakawa's will also complicate matters.
She had left her assets to her husband, with a clause stating that if they died within 90 days of each other, her estate would be placed in a trust and later donated to charity.
