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By Megan Cartwright
Associate News Editor
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Gene Hackman likely didn't know his wife, Betsy Arakawa, had died prior to his death.
The Superman actor, 95, the classical pianist, 65, and their dog were found dead in their New Mexico home on Wednesday, February 26 by maintenance and security workers. Hackman was found in the home's entryway, and Arakawa was discovered in the bathroom near scattered pills.
Two other dogs located on the property "appeared healthy," authorities said.
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Hackman died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a "significant contributory factor," Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, said in a press conference on Friday.
Arakawa's cause of death, meanwhile, was hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and the manner of death was "natural," Jarrell said during the same press conference. She also confirmed the "pills present on scene were thyroid medication, which were being taken as prescribed."
The couple tested negative for carbon monoxide after the New Mexico Gas Company carried out a thorough investigation on the property and concluded "there were no significant findings" of a gas leak or carbon monoxide.
Jarrell added that based on Hackman's pacemaker data, he likely died on February 18, while Arakawa likely died before him. February 11 was the "last time she was known to be alive."
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden theorized what Hackman's final days looked like.
"I think what [happened] here is he didn't realize it and... didn't understand that she was dead," he told the outlet of the two-time Academy Award winner. "He didn't understand that he needed to call 911.
"It sounds like he's kind of wandered around, was able to drink water from... [the] kitchen sink or even get some food out of the refrigerator... [he] probably couldn't cook anything but could eat bread or something if he was hungry."
Jarrell said an autopsy performed on Hackman showed that his stomach was empty, meaning he hadn't eaten recently, but that he did not appear to be dehydrated.
"It looks like she was really taking good care of him," Baden shared.
Fox News Digital medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel echoed similar sentiments about Hackman.
"If he was incapable of calling 911, and getting her seen, and just sat there for a week, then he either went into a state of great despondency or was somehow incapacitated himself," he told the publication. "Or his Alzheimer's was so severe that he was incapable of even noticing what was going on."
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the investigation is still ongoing despite their causes of death being confirmed. Officials are awaiting cell phone record information as well as the results of a necropsy being conducted on the deceased dog.
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