“A strange man was following us”: New details emerge in mysterious deaths of Gene Hackman and wife

New footage released this week reveals unsettling details about the final days of legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. According to Christopher, Arakawa's longtime hairdresser, Betsy had expressed growing concern in the weeks leading up to her death, claiming that a mysterious man had followed the couple on two separate occasions in Santa Fe.

In a recorded interview with New Mexico authorities, shared by Fox News and captured on police body cameras, the hairstylist described Arakawa as “confused” and increasingly alarmed.

“She told me there was a man who parked outside their gate and was following them. Once, when they were driving to White Rock for lunch, she said the man followed them the entire way. She told me, ‘Christopher, I was shocked that security didn’t catch him, because as soon as we left the house, I noticed that same car behind us all the way to White Rock.’”

According to Christopher, the man allegedly approached Hackman at one point, pulled out a folder of photos, and asked for autographs. He emphasized that this kind of behavior is highly unusual in Santa Fe, which he described as “not a paparazzi kind of place.”

“She said she walked right up to him and told him, ‘You need to show more respect,’” he recalled.

Christopher also claimed the same man had followed them to another location on a different occasion and offered the couple a bottle of wine, which they declined.

Under investigation: A high-profile mystery

The mysterious deaths of the two-time Oscar winner and his wife remain under investigation by New Mexico authorities.

It was February 26 when police discovered the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, along with their deceased dog, at their $3.8 million Santa Fe home.

According to data from Hackman’s pacemaker, he is believed to have died on February 18 from heart disease, with Alzheimer’s disease noted as a contributing factor. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator initially determined that Arakawa likely died a week earlier, on February 11, from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—a rare, often deadly disease transmitted by rodents.

Conflicting timeline raises questions

However, Dr. Josiah Child, Hackman’s physician, recently raised doubts about the timeline of Arakawa’s death. Speaking on March 16, Dr. Child revealed that Arakawa had contacted his clinic on February 12—one day after her presumed death—to inquire about an echocardiogram for her husband.

“Mrs. Hackman did not die on February 11,” said Child. “She called my office on the 12th.”

He added that Arakawa had canceled an earlier appointment on February 10, citing Hackman’s illness. The session was rescheduled for February 12, but she never showed up. “She showed no signs of respiratory distress,” Child emphasized. “The appointment had nothing to do with hantavirus. We tried to reach her several times but got no response.”

A Hollywood icon’s quiet final chapter

Gene Hackman was widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, earning Academy Awards for The French Connection (1971) and Unforgiven (1992). He married classical pianist Betsy Arakawa in 1991 and retired from acting in 2004. The couple had been living full-time in Santa Fe since the 1980s.

Reports estimate that Hackman left behind an estate valued at $80 million.

As investigators continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the couple’s deaths, new testimony and inconsistencies in the timeline have only deepened the mystery. Meanwhile, the quiet community of Santa Fe is left grappling with unsettling questions—and a legacy marked by both brilliance and intrigue.