Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa's last phone calls lead officials to alter timeline of couple's deaths
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: The investigation into the deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, has taken a new turn as authorities reveal discrepancies in the original timeline.
The Santa Fe Sheriff's Department now confirms that Betsy may have lived longer than previously believed, based on newly analyzed cell phone records.
New evidence alters the timeline of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's deaths
Earlier reports suggested Betsy Arakawa died on February 11, the last day she was seen in public, but forensic analysis of her phone activity suggests otherwise.
Authorities told Fox News Digital, "Pending cell phone records, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office investigation showed the last known activity of Mrs Hackman to be February 11, 2025. 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.
According to officials, her phone was used on the morning of February 12 to make three calls to Cloudberry Health, a medical center in Santa Fe. Later that afternoon, an incoming call from the same medical facility registered as a missed call.
The revelation complicates the timeline of events leading up to Hackman’s death. Authorities initially believed he spent a week alone before succumbing to heart failure linked to severe Alzheimer's on February 18. However, if Betsy was still alive on February 12, it raises new questions about the final days of the couple and the sequence of their deaths.
As scrutiny over the case intensifies, the Hackman estate has secured a temporary restraining order preventing the release of certain investigative records.
The order blocks public access to photographs, videos, and police bodycam footage showing the interior of the couple’s residence, their bodies, or any deceased animals found at the scene. Additionally, autopsy reports and death records will remain sealed until at least March 31, when a court hearing is scheduled.
Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza confirmed that while detectives have answered many pressing questions, they are still analyzing specific data to finalize the investigation.
Gene Hackman’s children could still inherit his $80 million fortune even though they were left out of will
Gene Hackman’s shocking death at 95 sparked questions about the fate of his $80 million fortune, as none of his three children — Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 — were named in his will.
Having said that, legal experts believe they may still inherit his estate due to an unusual legal technicality surrounding the deaths of both Hackman and his wife, Arakawa.
Hackman, best known for his roles in 'The French Connection' and 'Unforgiven', had been married to Arakawa for over 30 years. In his will, last updated in 2005, he left everything to Arakawa, making her the sole beneficiary.
However, as per reports, Arakawa died a week before Hackman in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home. According to legal experts, this could change everything.
"The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws, and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit," explained California attorney Tre Lovell in an interview with the BBC.
Because Arakawa died before Hackman, some legal experts argue that the actor's will may no longer be valid, meaning his children could inherit the estate by default under intestate succession laws.
The situation is further complicated by Arakawa’s own estate plan. She had set up a trust, leaving her assets to Hackman. However, she included a crucial clause: if she and Hackman died within 90 days of each other, her estate would be placed in a trust and later donated to charity.
