The final autopsy for actor Gene Hackman has been released by the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico, confirming that signs point to heart failure as the likely cause of death.
Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found partially mummified in separate rooms of their New Mexico home on February 26. Zinna, their dog, was also found dead at the home nearby.
Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, confirmed their causes of death in a press conference last month.
Arakawa died on February 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a potentially deadly virus that is spread by rodents. Hackman died a week later from “heart disease with advanced Alzheimer’s a significant contributory factor.”
The medical investigator has published the final report, which confirms heart failure as the cause of death for Hackman, detailing further evidence to support this finding.
The report said that Hackman had a “history of congestive heart failure” and “severe chronic hypertensive changes” to his kidneys, according to Fox News.
“Autopsy showed severe atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with placement of coronary artery stents and a bypass graft, as well as a previous aortic valve replacement,” the investigator wrote, adding later, “Remote myocardial infarctions were present involving the left ventricular free wall and the septum, which were significantly large.”
The report also found “neurodegenerative features consistent Alzheimer’s Disease” and trace amounts of acetone, which is “a product of diabetic- and fasting-induced ketoacidosis.”
The report confirmed that Hackman tested negative for Hantavirus, the illness that killed his wife and that saturation for carbon monoxide was at 5 percent, which is “keeping with a normal range.”
Dr. Heather Jarrell, the chief medical examiner for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, at a press conference in March said: “It is unprecedented for the Office of the Medical Investigator to make public statements about death investigations. However, the circumstances surrounding these two deaths require accurate dissemination of important information.”
With the publication of the final autopsy report, the matter is considered finished, and no further investigation will take place.
Hackman and Arakawa were laid to rest earlier this month with a private memorial for family and close friends, according to People magazine.
