According to a health report that was acquired by TMZ, dead rats and their nests were dispersed among eight unattached structures on the property that Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa owned in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In March, the New Mexico Department of Public Health carried out an environmental evaluation. This was one week after the bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy were discovered. Both of them had died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), which is a degenerative lung disease caused by hantavirus.
The illness, which is fatal, is transmitted by the urine and droppings of rats and mice, which are often picked up by people who are cleaning out their basements or attics.
It was discovered that Hackman and Betsy’s property had rodent excrement in three sheds, two casitas, and three garages. Additionally, there were two casitas. In each of the three unattached garages, there was a moth nest, a dead mouse, and a living rodent that had been discovered.
Additional evidence of rats, including nests, droppings, and observations of the pests, was discovered in two automobiles that were located on the site. The investigators also found live traps that had been set up in the sheds, which is evidence that the infestation had been going on for some time.
On March 5, the New Mexico Department of Health conducted a risk assessment to ensure the safety of first responders and family members who had been present on the site. To their good fortune, they discovered that the principal dwelling was low-risk, since there were no indications of rodent activity inside.
The unusual hantavirus has caused widespread concern ever since Betsy’s passing, since three further victims have recently passed away as a result of the sickness in the town of Mammoth Lakes, which is located in northern California.
On February 12, only one day before the authorities announced that she had passed away, Betsy made a call to a personal medical concierge service. In addition to severe Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease, Gene died away around the 17th or 18th of February. Hantavirus was not a contributing factor in his passing.