Authorities have discovered new information in the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, shifting the timeline of events.
According to NBC News, cellphone records indicate that Arakawa was alive at least one day after her estimated time of death.
Arakawa’s phone records show that she made three calls to Cloudberry, a private medical clinic, on the morning of Feb. 12 and it appears that she missed a return call the same afternoon.
The medical investigator’s office had previously estimated that Arakawa died on Feb. 11, seven days before Hackman, who was believed to have died on Feb. 18.
Chris Ramirez, a spokesperson for the medical investigator’s office, told NBC News that Arakawa’s cellphone records were not yet in investigators’ hands when chief medical examiner Heather Jarrell publicly estimated Arakawa’s time of death during a news conference on March 7.
“The information was based on what was available at that time,” he told the outlet via email. “As with all death investigations, the NM OMI [New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator] and law enforcement will continue to work closely together to determine the facts necessary to close the case.”
Authorities told the BBC that Arakawa had exchanged emails with a massage therapist and visited a grocery store, pharmacy and pet store on Feb. 11. Garage opener data showed that she returned home around 5:15 p.m. that day.
Dr. Josiah Child, the lead doctor at Cloudberry Health, told the outlet that while the clinic had never treated Hackman or Arakawa, she had reached out for medical advice.
“She called and described some congestion but didn’t mention any respiratory distress, shortness of breath, or chest pain,” he said.
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Arakawa had scheduled an appointment for Feb. 12 but cancelled it on Feb. 10, saying she needed to care for her husband, according to Child.
On the morning of Feb. 12, Arakawa called the clinic again seeking treatment, but personnel there told her she needed to be seen in person because she had not been taken on as a new patient yet.
“There were a couple calls back and forth to just schedule that appointment for the afternoon, but she never showed up,” Child said. “Our office called back several times and never got an answer.”
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe, N.M., home on Feb. 26. Authorities have confirmed that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease, after hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a rare, rodent-borne disease — took the life of his wife.
According to the search warrant affidavit, a maintenance worker called police after finding the bodies. They became concerned after no one answered the door and called 911 after seeing a body lying face down through a window.
The couple’s German shepherd, named Bear, survived along with a second dog named Nikita, but their Kelpie mix, Zinna, died, according to Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility involved in the surviving dogs’ care.
An examination of Zinna shows dehydration and starvation were likely what led to the animal’s demise.
A report from the state Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab, obtained by The Associated Press, details partial mummification and noted that while the severe decomposition could have obscured changes in the organs, there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning that could have resulted in death.
The report noted that the dog’s stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile.
Hackman’s two surviving dogs “are safe and adjusting” following the deaths of their owners and the third dog.
“I will be holding onto them until I get word on what Betsy’s wishes for these dogs are,” Padilla told ABC News.
On Monday, a New Mexico court granted a temporary restraining order against the release of certain records related to the investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa.
The order is in response to a request by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate. She urged in a motion filed last week that the court seal records in the case to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Peters emphasized the possibly shocking nature of photographs and video in the investigation and the potential for their dissemination by media.
A hearing has been scheduled for later this month to argue the merits of the request. For now, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the state Office of the Medical Investigator cannot release photographs and videos showing the couple’s bodies or the interior of their home, autopsy reports or death investigation reports.
The request to seal the records notes that the couple placed “a significant value on their privacy and took affirmative vigilant steps” to safeguard their privacy over their lifetime, including after they moved to Santa Fe and Hackman retired.
“The personal representative seeks to continue to preserve the privacy of the Hackmans following their tragic death and support the family’s constitutional right to remembrance and desire to grieve in peace,” the document states.
In a previous statement, Hackman’s daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and granddaughter Annie said, “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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