Rodent nests found near the house where Betsy Arakawa died

Nids and dead rodents were found in the outbuildings of the house where the Oscar -winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead.

The archives of the New Mexico Public Health Department seen by BBC News have documented animal evidence in eight detached buildings at their home in Santa Fe.

US officials previously confirmed that Ms. Arakawa, 65, died of a Respiratory disease linked to Hantaviruswhich can be transmitted by infected rodents.

It is believed that she died a week before her husband, 95, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The authorities found the couple who died in their house in February.

An environmental assessment of the property took place on March 5, a week after their discovery, as part of the investigation into their death.

He has found anger faeces, a living rodent, dead rodents and a nest of rodents in three garages, in addition to other rodent excrement in two small external houses and three hangars. Traps had also been set up.

There were rodent observations, a nest and faeces in two abandoned vehicles or agricultural machinery in the property park.

The eight detached outbuildings were located less than 50 meters (45 meters) from the main house where the couple lived, which was “clean without sign of rodent activity”, said public health officials of the New Mexico in their eight-page report.

The authorities believe Ms. Hackman died around February 12 and her husband on February 18With their bodies discovered on February 26.

Medical investigators believe that Ms. Arakawa has contracted Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a potentially fatal pulmonary state with symptoms such as fatigue, fever, muscle pain, dizzy and abdominal problems, which resulted in sudden death.

The Hantavirus refers to a virus strain transported by rodents, mainly transmitted to humans by inhalation of suspended particles in air from excrement of dried rodents.

Infections generally occur when the virus becomes in the air from the urine of a rodent, excrement or saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If the respiratory symptoms develop during HP, the mortality rate is around 38%, according to the CDC. The agency reported 864 cases of Hantavirus in the United States between 1993 and 2022, mainly in rural Western states.

Mr. Hackman’s cause of death was a serious heart disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease listed as a contributory factor. Experts told the BBC His Alzheimer may have prevented him from making His wife over 30 had died in the house where he lived.