An environmental assessment of Gene Hackman’s home after the deaths of the actor and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, revealed rodent infestation in outbuildings and garages, it has been revealed.
Records obtained by CNN show that the New Mexico department of public health conducted a “homesite environmental assessment” on 5 March, a week after Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were found at their home in Santa Fe, and that rodent faeces, a live rodent, a dead rodent and a rodent nest were found.
New Mexico’s chief medical investigator said on 7 March that Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome while Hackman, 95, died of heart disease some days later, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease contributing. Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
The medical examiner, Dr Heather Jarrell, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that someone suffering from hantavirus without treatment can die “very quickly” after the later stage sets in, potentially in 24 to 48 hours. “It’s not uncommon to find someone down on the floor as part of a terminal collapse, so to speak, and that may very well have been what happened,” she said.
The disease causes flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, fever and muscle aches at first – before respiratory symptoms appear approximately a week later, including coughing, shortness of breath and the lungs filling with fluid, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
According to the report, the property contained eight outbuildings that showed signs of infestation, while the main house was “clean”, with no signs of infestation. However, there were sightings of rodents, a nest and faeces on vehicles on the property, and live traps were found in the outbuildings.
The assessment was carried out to determine the level of hazard to first responders and emergency personnel, and concluded the level of risk in the main residence was “low”.
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Edward Helmore contributed reporting
Source: theguardian.com
