CNN received New Mexico Department of Public Health data, which confirmed the discovery of dead rodents and mouse nests across eight unattached outbuildings on the late actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s property.
The homesite environmental study of the huge property was carried out in March, one week after Hackman and his wife were discovered dead in their home in February.
According to the New Mexico medical investigator’s office, Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease that humans can catch by coming into touch with rats, rodent faeces, saliva, or urine. She was 65.
According to the study, mouse faeces were discovered in three garages, two casitas, and three sheds. A live rat, a dead rodent, and a rodent nest were discovered in the three unattached garages.
On March 5, the New Mexico Department of Health conducted a risk assessment as part of the investigation into Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths to protect the safety of first responders and family members with access to the property. Erin Phipps, a New Mexico State Public Health Veterinarian, said the risk of exposure in the primary residence was low. According to the study, there were no signs of rodent activity and the area was clean.
The investigation revealed that rodents had access to the other eight structures on the property. Rodents, a nest, and faeces were discovered in two cars on the property (designated as working or abandoned vehicles or farm equipment). Investigators also discovered live traps in the sheds.
Hantavirus is a rare but dangerous disease that killed 41% of victims in New Mexico. The southwestern state has the highest number of reported hantavirus cases in the country.
Due to the disease’s limited treatment options, the Mayo Clinic recommends avoiding contact with rats wherever possible and using protective gear when cleaning up rodent habitats. There is currently no specific therapy for hantavirus, and symptoms, which appear flu-like at first, can take up to two months to manifest, according to the CDC.
Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, stated that Arakawa died suddenly from hantavirus, while Hackman died days later from complications of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease contributing to his death. He was 95.