Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa’s doctor claims she called him 24 hours after reported death

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Just when we thought authorities had figured out Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s tragic deaths, a bombshell revelation has turned everything upside down.

A doctor in Santa Fe has come forward with shocking claims that Betsy Arakawa may have been alive a full day after authorities say she died—and now everyone is wondering what really happened inside the Hackmans’ isolated Santa Fe, New Mexico home.

A timeline that raises eyebrows

Authorities initially ruled that Betsy Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus—a rare, rodent-borne respiratory disease—on February 11. Just a week later, her legendary Oscar-winning husband Gene Hackman, 95, succumbed to heart failure combined with Alzheimer’s disease.

But here’s where things get weird.

Dr Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist and the head of Cloudberry Health in Santa Fe, has come forward with an eerie contradiction. He claims Betsy called his clinic on February 12—an entire day after she was reportedly dead.

“Mrs Hackman didn't die on February 11 because she called my clinic on February 12,” he told DailyMail.

According to Dr Child, Betsy had first reached out to Cloudberry Health weeks earlier to inquire about an echocardiogram for her husband. Though she wasn’t one of his patients, someone had recommended his clinic to her. She eventually scheduled an appointment for herself on February 12 for something unrelated to respiratory illness.

Then, two days before her appointment, she canceled saying that Gene wasn’t well.

"She called back on the morning of February 12 and spoke to one of our doctors who told her to come in that afternoon," Dr Child recalled. "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," he added.

This leaves questions as to what happened between that phone call and the moment she was found dead on her bathroom floor.

When authorities entered the Hackman residence, they found Betsy on the bathroom floor, surrounded by pills. Meanwhile, Gene was just 20 feet away in a utility room, also collapsed on the floor.

His pacemaker confirmed he died on February 18—a full week after Betsy. The medical examiner found no food in his stomach, and investigators believe his Alzheimer’s disease may have prevented him from realizing his wife had passed away.

One of their three dogs, which had been recovering from surgery in a crate, also died—likely from starvation and dehydration.

A death that makes no sense

While the coroner insists that Betsy Arakawa died from hantavirus, medical experts are skeptical.

Dr Child himself admits that something isn’t adding up. “I am not a hantavirus expert but most patients who have that diagnosis die in hospital. 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.

Dr Child is not alone in his confusion.

“Medical professionals are all scratching their heads over hantavirus as the cause of death," a Los Angeles-based doctor told the Mail.

"Respiratory failure is not sudden—it worsens over several days. Most people end up in the ER because they are struggling to breathe. It’s exceedingly rare for a seemingly healthy 65-year-old to just drop dead from it. In fact, no one’s heard of such a thing," they said.

What's more? Betsy was last seen running errands around Santa Fe on February 11, stopping at a chemist, a pet food store, and a supermarket—hardly the behavior of someone in the throes of a deadly respiratory illness.

Beyond the timeline discrepancies, another big question looms about the fate of Gene Hackman’s massive $80 million fortune.

The legendary actor had three children, but his estate was locked in a private trust. The actor left his entire fortune to his wife Betsy who was named the successor trustee of his trust, according to his will.