A HEARTBREAKING bundle of handwritten notes found in Gene Hackman’s home shed light on the tender relationship with his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
The married couple, who were both found dead inside their Santa Fe home in February, were clearly devoted to each other until the very end.
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The deaths of Hackman, 95, and Betsy, 65, were initially a mystery when their bodies were found in separate parts of house alongside one of their dogs.
It was later revealed that the Hollywood actor died from a heart condition around week after his wife succumbed to a disease called hantavirus, spread by rodent droppings.
Hackman, suffering from severe dementia, likely did not even know his wife had passed away, officials said.
The haunting internet searches of Betsy revealed she was worried about her symptoms in the days before her death.
Then, harrowing bodycam footage then emerged showing the inside of the home and the positions of the bodies – with one of the beloved pooches jus feet from Betsy’s remains.
And now, a collection of personal letters between the pair, who married in 1991, has been uncovered.
Hackman, who clearly doted on Betsy, would always sign off with: “Love, G.”
One touching message read: “Morning lovely girl, thinking of you and the other little guys. Love G.”
In another note, Hackman seems to acknowledge that he is struggling with his health, but makes light of the situation.
He wrote: “Ho, Ho, I am off to see the Wizard, the Wizz of Achie, Pokie.
“She stabs me here and stabs me there, she stabs me almost everywhere (almost).
“But I’ll survive because after I am still alive. (But some times just barely). Love G.”
In a third, the ailing actor seemed to let Betsy know he was off on some kind of errand.
He scrawled: “I’m going down to that building out past the hot water place where you sit, and do whatever it is that people are supposed to do in such a building – maybe I’ll remember once I get down there.”
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In a playful touch, he signed this time with: “Love what’s his name.”
Notes were also discovered from Betsy to Hackman, revealing she would leave out jigsaw puzzles for him to complete.
One reads: “Hi G! Taking Zin to obedience class & the vet appt. See you back at home!
“There is jigsaw puzzle on the table. xo B.”
Photos released by police show a huge stack of completed puzzles on top of a table.
And in another, only partially readable, Betsy warns Gene about a “water leak” somewhere in the house – again closing with her doting signature: “xo B”.
The bodycam footage from inside the home shows cops pacing through rooms of the multi-million-dollar property, with many of the couple’s personal belongings out on show.
What is hantavirus?
ACCORDING to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantavirus pathogens are mainly spread between rodents.
In very rare cases, the disease can be passed to humans and cause varied disease syndromes.
These include hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
The CDC said: “Each hantavirus serotype has a specific rodent host species and is spread to people via aerosolised virus that is shed in urine, feces, and saliva, and less frequently by a bite from an infected host.”
Dr Sumaiya Shaikh, a Swedish scientist, tweeted: “The #Hantavirus first emerged in 1950s in the American-Korean war in Korea (Hantan river).
“It spreads from rat/mice if humans ingest their body fluids.
“Human-human transmission is rare. Please do not panic, unless you plan to eat rats.”
While hantavirus is rare, it carries a 38 per cent death rate according to the CDC.
Footage shows the couple’s German shepherd heartbreakingly staring at her body just a few feet away.
One of the investigators can be heard saying: “Poor guy, he’s sad.”
The sides of the sink are also seen littered with toiletries and bottles of medication.
And what appears to be a bathtub is filled to the brim with boxes, books and documents.
Cops walk through the kitchen and bedrooms, which are cluttered with dog crates, beds, books, documents and boxes.
One deputy could be heard saying law enforcement had been told the couple were “very private people, like very”.
Clothes are also seen piled high in various rooms, with still-bagged dry cleaning hung up and what appears to be dirty laundry tossed in a huge heap.
Around a week after the couple was found, the authorities gave details about the final days of both Hackman and Betsy.
He was found in the kitchen with no food in his stomach, but he showed no signs of dehydration.
The last signal from the actor’s pacemaker was from February 18.
Arakawa and a dog were found in a bathroom, with scattered pills from an open prescription bottle on the bathroom counter.
She died on February 11 from a disease called hantavirus, the medic said, which is spread by infected rodent droppings.
