Expert says Gene Hackman may have repeatedly relived wife's death in his final days due to Alzheimer's

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Gene Hackman may have relived the loss of his wife Betsy Arakawa repeatedly in his final days due to advanced Alzheimer's disease, according to an expert.

Betsy Arakawa, 65, died of a rare virus on February 11, days before Hackman, who died on February 18 of natural causes, as per officials. 

Gene Hackman may have been trying to wake Betsy Arakawa up unsuccessfully

The couple, along with one of their dogs, was found dead in their Santa Fe home on February 26 after neighborhood security conducted a welfare check and saw their bodies through a window.

The partially mummified remains of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa were discovered by maintenance and security workers, who then alerted the police.

Arakawa was found in a bathroom with scattered pills nearby, while Hackman was found dead near the kitchen with a cane and sunglasses. One of their three dogs was dead in a crate.

Dr Catherine Piersol, an occupational therapist specializing in dementia care, said Hackman may have experienced the loss of his wife over and over again due to his condition.

"I imagine he would be trying to wake her up and not being successful," Piersol told the BBC.

"But then could have been distracted in another room because of one of the dogs or something," Piersol added.

She suggested that Hackman would later notice Arakawa on the bathroom floor again and have to "live through it again".

Gene Hackman was unable to call for help due to Alzheimer's

Officials found no indication that Gene Hackman tried to contact police or emergency personnel after Betsy Arakawa's death.

They were also unable to determine if he could care for himself during his final days.

Piersol said advanced Alzheimer's patients aren't able to pick up on environmental cues like light and darkness, making it harder to determine when he should eat, sleep or bathe.

"Those [cues] are oftentimes just, no longer available to people at this stage of dementia," she said.

Dr Brendan Kelley, a neurologist specializing in memory and cognition, told the station that Hackman may not have been able to call for help due to his condition.

"A person might feel worried or frightened, but at the same time they might not be capable to take the actions that you or I might normally think to do in order to alleviate that worry or concern, such as calling somebody else, or going to speak to a neighbor," Kelley said.

Gene Hackman's stomach was empty 

An autopsy showed Gene Hackman had an empty stomach at the time of his death, as per Daily Mail. 

His pacemaker's last recorded activity was on February 18, but help did not arrive until over a week later.

Officials believe Arakawa died on February 11 as numerous emails from that day went unopened, and no further communication was recorded from her account.

Dr Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Investigator for the state of New Mexico, said that their deaths were ruled natural, with no signs of internal or external trauma.

Officials, however, have kept the case open.