Betsy Arakawa, the late wife of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, was still alive a full 24 hours after authorities originally believed she had died, according to new police reports

Police now confirm that Gene’s wife was used on the morning of Feb 12, a day after her supposed death

The wife of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa, was alive a full 24 hours after authorities initially believed she had died, according to police. Preliminary cell phone records show that Betsy made multiple calls to a Santa Fe medical centre on February 12, a day after she was thought to have passed away.

The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department told Fox News: “We can now confirm that Mrs. Hackman’s phone was utilized on the morning of February 12 to call a medical centre in Santa Fe, Cloudberry Health,” Dr. Josiah Child, a former emergency care specialist who runs Cloudberry Health, confirmed that Betsy had made an appointment for February 12, a day after her supposed death.

He also revealed that Betsy had cancelled the appointment just days earlier, citing her husband’s declining health. The situation remains puzzling as Dr. Child expressed his astonishment: “It is surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn’t appear in respiratory distress,” noting that “Most patients who have hantavirus die in hospital.”

Betsy was diagnosed with the rare and deadly hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is transmitted through rodents. However, Dr. Child’s observations cast doubt on her condition’s severity since she exhibited no typical symptoms during her calls.

Gene and Betsy were found dead last month(Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

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Reports also say that Gene, suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s, may have been alone at home for days after Betsy’s demise, possibly unaware of her death. Authorities confirmed Gene passed away on February 18, a week after his wife, with hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s contributing significantly.

The discovery of their bodies came only on February 26, when a neighbour’s caretaker alerted the authorities. As officials piece together the cause of death for both, Betsy’s phone calls add layers of mystery to the timeline and circumstances of her passing.

Gene’s £62million fortune might go to his three children, despite them not being named in his will. The actor’s inheritance automatically reverts to his offspring – Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58 – per the rules of intestate succession.

California legal adviser Tre Lovell shared with the BBC : “The estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit.”

The will, last amended in 2005, exclusively identified Arakawa as the inheritor. Given her demise ahead of Hackman, this might void the will entirely. Nevertheless, to ensure this outcome, Hackman’s progeny may have to confirm that the will is no longer applicable, due to the untimely passing of his partner.

A New Mexico court has approved a temporary hold on the release of documents related to the death of Gene and Betsy containing sensitive footage and images, it was revealed this evening.

The temporary restraining order, which was granted on Monday, was submitted by Julia Peters, a representative for the couple’s estate, to protect the family’s right to privacy in grief under the 14th amendment of the US constitution.

Gene Hackman suffered from advanced Alzheimer’s(Image: Getty Images)

Under the order, documents containing images or videos of the body of Hackman or Arakawa, the interior of their home, or their deceased animals, cannot be released.

Post-mortem examination and death investigation reports are also not able to be disclosed by the Office Of The Medical Investigator under the hold.

It comes after the pair were found dead along with one of their dogs at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26. A pathologist said Hackman died, aged 95, of heart disease a week after Arakawa died, aged 65, of a rare infectious disease.

A hearing to argue the merits of the order has been scheduled for later this month. The US state’s open records law blocks public access to sensitive images, including depictions of people who are deceased.

But the bulk of death investigations by law enforcement and post-mortem examination reports by medical investigators are still typically considered public records under state law to ensure government transparency and accountability.

Hackman won two Oscars during a storied career in films including The French Connection, Hoosiers and Superman from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.