COPS have admitted that Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa was still alive a full 24 hours after authorities initially believed she had died.
Preliminary cell phone records show that Betsy made multiple calls to a Santa Fe medical center on February 12, 24 hours after she was believed to have passed away on February 11.
The new revelations by the Santa Fe Sheriff's Department challenges previous reports and adds a layer of mystery to the already puzzling timeline.
"We can now confirm that Mrs. Hackman’s phone was utilized on the morning of February 12 to call a medical center in Santa Fe, Cloudberry Health," authorities told
"A total of three calls were made that morning, all to the medical center.
"One incoming call was made to Mrs. Hackman from the same medical center that afternoon.
"That appeared as a missed call on Mrs. Hackman’s cell phone."
The revelation confirms a claim made by Dr. Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist who runs Cloudberry Health.
Dr. Child, who had spoken to Betsy a few weeks prior to her death, previously said that Betsy had made an appointment for February 12, a day after her supposed death.
"She made an appointment for herself for February 12. It was for something unrelated to anything respiratory," Dr. Child explained.
He also noted that Betsy had canceled the appointment just days earlier, citing her husband’s declining health.
Dr. Child has raised questions about Betsy’s cause of death, suggesting that her hantavirus diagnosis may not fully explain the situation.
"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," he said.
"Most patients who have hantavirus die in hospital."
Betsy was diagnosed with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and potentially deadly disease transmitted through rodent exposure.
Yet Dr. Child's account casts doubt on the severity of her condition, as she didn’t show symptoms typically associated with the illness during her phone calls.
Adding to the confusion, Gene Hackman, who suffered from advanced Alzheimer's, was reportedly alone in the couple’s home for days after his wife’s death.
It is possible he wasn’t aware of Betsy’s passing, with authorities later confirming that his death occurred on February 18, a week after his wife’s.
GENE Hackman's family has spoken out on the actor's death after he was found dead with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in their Santa Fe home.
Hackman's daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and his granddaughter, Annie, released the statement.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy," Elizabeth, Leslie, and Annie Hackman said.
"He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa.
"We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss."
Gene’s cause of death was ruled as hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's playing a significant role.
Neither of the Hackmans' bodies was found until February 26, when a neighbor’s caretaker called 911 after finding them unresponsive.
While authorities have closed in on a cause of death for each of them, Betsy’s mysterious phone calls on February 12 continue to raise questions about the timeline and the circumstances surrounding her death.
Meanwhile, Gene Hackman's £62million fortune could be given to his three children, even though they were not named in his will.
The legendary French Connection star had named Betsy Arakawa as the sole beneficiary.
But Arakawa, 65, was found dead alongside Hackman in their New Mexico home, with authorities saying she passed away a week before him.
Legal experts say this timeline could mean Hackman's estate defaults to his three children - Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 - under intestate succession laws.
According to California attorney Tre Lovell, the actor's will, last updated in 2005, named only Awakawa as the beneficiary.
With her passing before Hackman, the estate could now bypass the will altogether.
Lovell : "The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit."
However, Hackman's children would likely need to prove that the will is invalid due to his wife's earlier death.
