Hollywood actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home along with one of their dogs as police revealed distressing details of their final days

Gene Hackman’s daughter has been seen for the first time after police revealed distressing details of his final days with wife Betsy Arakawa.

Leslie Anne Allen, who is the youngest of the late Hollywood icon’s three children, was seen running errands in Los Angeles on Sunday. Her outing came just days after authorities shared the cause of death of her father and his wife. On Friday, Dr Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Examiner for New Mexico at the office of the Medical Investigator, shared the medical insights to the deaths.

Gene, 95, and his musician wife Betsy, 65, were found dead, along with one of their dogs, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday 26th February. Police initially said there were no apparent signs of foul play. The alarm had been raised by a maintenance person doing pest control at the property, who was concerned because he had not seen the couple, police said.

Gene, 95, and his musician wife Betsy, 65, were found dead, along with one of their dogs, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Wednesday 26th February. Police initially said there were no apparent signs of foul play. The alarm had been raised by a maintenance person doing pest control at the property, who was concerned because he had not seen the couple, police said.

Gene Hackman’s daughter has been seen for the first time
Hackman’s body was found in a mud room, and his wife was found next to a space heater in a bathroom. The actor’s daughters Elizabeth and Leslie, and his granddaughter Annie, said they will miss the actor “sorely” and are “devastated by the loss”. A statement to the PA news agency said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy. 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.”

Gene had three grown-up children with his first wife, Faye Maltese; son Christopher Allen and daughters Leslie Anne and Elizabeth Jean. Leslie described Gene and Betsy’s bond as a “wonderful marriage”. She said: “I give credit to his wife, Betsy, for keeping him alive. She took very, very good care of him and was always looking out for his health. I am appreciative to her for that, and I’m very saddened by her passing.”

Leslie told MailOnline that there was “no indication” that there was anything wrong with Gene before his death. She said: “Despite his age, he was in very good physical condition,” before adding that her father did not have any major surgeries these last few months. “He liked to do Pilates and yoga, and he was continuing to do that several times a week. So he was in good health.” She added that because she lives in California, it had been a few months since she had last seen or heard from her father, who had become reclusive in the latter years of his life.

Dr Jarrell explained that Betsy most likely died first, while Gene had died a week later – with his pacemaker recording information on February 18. The last known activities of Betsy were determined to take place on February 11 when she was last seen alive. Dr Jarrell revealed: “The cause of death for Miss Betsy Hackman, aged 65 years, is hantavirus, pulmonary syndrome.

“The manner of death is natural, autopsy, examination and full body post mortem, CT demonstrated no findings of trauma, internally or externally, with microscopic findings consistent with Coronavirus pulmonary syndrome.” The authorities went on to explain that hantavirus can be transmitted by rats and that warnings were issued to those entering the property to reduce the risk of others becoming infected.

Dr Jarrell confirmed there were several causes of Gene’s death – but added it could not be confirmed that heart failure had occurred. She also revealed that the star had battled Alzheimer’s disease ahead of his death. Dr Jarrell explained: “The cause of death for Mr. Gene Hackman, 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor. Autopsy examination and a full body post mortem CT examination demonstrated no acute findings of internal or external trauma, and showed severe heart disease, including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, evidence of prior heart attacks and severe changes of the kidneys due to chronic high blood pressure.”