Now New Mexico is going to be checking everyone at the stores that she went to in her last days for plague.

Hanta virus is rare but not unheard of, especially in New Mexico. But what a horrifying story! Nothing like any of us first thought, when we heard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just don’t/can’t understand how they had no help at all! No housecleaners? How did she grocery shop? Did she ever leave the house? Seems like he shouldn’t have been left alone for her to even run small errands. Our next door neighbor has full blown dementia. His adult daughter and son in law live there, plus they have at least 8 hours of health aides per day. And they aren’t even that wealthy! This is all so bizarre. And Hantavius was just mentioned on The Pitt and here it is in real life!

She probably just had everything they needed delivered. Easy enough these days. It was reported they kept to themselves, especially in the past year. Some people are very private and don't want any outside help. Sounds like it was just the two of them for quite a while, and they liked it that way.

I read in a different article that in her last few days she did run several errands including the farmers market and CVS, as well as picking up one of the dogs from somewhere. She had a mask on so she probably thought she had the flu. Poor woman. I can see myself just thinking I need to rest and recuperate, having no clue I had a more serious illness.

Anonymous wrote:Where was she that she was inhaling rodent union and droppings to contract hantavirus?

New Mexico. More common in the Southwest.

Anonymous wrote:Where was she that she was inhaling rodent union and droppings to contract hantavirus?

She could have been hiking, gardening. Hantavirus is much more common out west. I remember first reading about it in the Death in Grand Canyon book.

One article said that the main house looks like it was low risk for the virus, but there were other buildings on the property that had signs of rodents

Where was she that she was inhaling rodent union and droppings to contract hantavirus?

"As of the end of 2022, 864 cases of hantavirus disease were reported in the United States since surveillance began in 1993."

https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/data-research/cases/index.html

Anonymous wrote:I just don’t/can’t understand how they had no help at all! No housecleaners? How did she grocery shop? Did she ever leave the house? Seems like he shouldn’t have been left alone for her to even run small errands. Our next door neighbor has full blown dementia. His adult daughter and son in law live there, plus they have at least 8 hours of health aides per day. And they aren’t even that wealthy! This is all so bizarre. And Hantavius was just mentioned on The Pitt and here it is in real life!

She probably just had everything they needed delivered. Easy enough these days. It was reported they kept to themselves, especially in the past year. Some people are very private and don't want any outside help. Sounds like it was just the two of them for quite a while, and they liked it that way.

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s perplexing. None of his kids said he had Alzheimer’s. I would think that would be discussed as his daughter did talk to the media. I also didn’t cancún doctors report noting that Gene Hackman had Alzheimer’s
because you would think he would have been taking the meds people take for this. How also
did she get Hanta virus? Is this something she was infected with after dead and laying on a floor? Can they tell the difference? I have more questions than before.

Of course the pathologist can tell the difference. No, hantavirus can't infect a dead person, nor can people infect each other. You get it from rodent droppings. It's rare, but there are cases every year in the US, mostly out west.

What a horrible, freakish series of events. Hantavirus was definitely nowhere near my list of possibilities here. She must have gotten much sicker very suddenly and collapsed. Odd that no one checked on either of them in all that time, but some families are just like that.

This is just so sad. I feel bad for them both and wish they had had more contact with the outside world.

Gift link to NYT article on the findings:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/us/gene-hackman-investigation-cause-death.html?unlocked_article_code=1.2E4.ASZo.DuKgbbrYzBig&smid=url-share

I just don’t/can’t understand how they had no help at all! No housecleaners? How did she grocery shop? Did she ever leave the house? Seems like he shouldn’t have been left alone for her to even run small errands. Our next door neighbor has full blown dementia. His adult daughter and son in law live there, plus they have at least 8 hours of health aides per day. And they aren’t even that wealthy! This is all so bizarre. And Hantavius was just mentioned on The Pitt and here it is in real life!

I think it’s perplexing. None of his kids said he had Alzheimer’s. I would think that would be discussed as his daughter did talk to the media. I also didn’t cancún doctors report noting that Gene Hackman had Alzheimer’s
because you would think he would have been taking the meds people take for this. How also
did she get Hanta virus? Is this something she was infected with after dead and laying on a floor? Can they tell the difference? I have more questions than before.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holy S. I tuned in late, but Hackman's wife died of Hanta virus? Who had that in their bingo cards this year? Hackman was in the house for a week with his deceased wife before he died.

https://abc7.com/post/gene-hackman-death-sheriff-provide-updates-friday/15987259/?ex_cid=TA_KABC_FB&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+New+Content+%28Feed%29&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawI4QvJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbSF58aIKiKRp7IHCGGn2sqF27JcM-D8We7o9QQVfFeJYHLOWeGvV7-Xaw_aem_1mb4Gu6K72l_5hCO5Vyj2A


Suffering from Alzheimer's, he was probably just completely confused and had no idea how to process any of it or call for help. What a sad story.

It sounds like they mostly kept to themselves. Poor woman. She obviously loved him deeply but 24/7 care of a 95 yo with full-blown Alzheimer's is hard, lonely work. I'm sorry she didn't have anyone checking in on her/them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holy S. I tuned in late, but Hackman's wife died of Hanta virus? Who had that in their bingo cards this year? Hackman was in the house for a week with his deceased wife before he died.

https://abc7.com/post/gene-hackman-death-sheriff-provide-updates-friday/15987259/?ex_cid=TA_KABC_FB&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+New+Content+%28Feed%29&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawI4QvJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbSF58aIKiKRp7IHCGGn2sqF27JcM-D8We7o9QQVfFeJYHLOWeGvV7-Xaw_aem_1mb4Gu6K72l_5hCO5Vyj2A


Suffering from Alzheimer's, he was probably just completely confused and had no idea how to process any of it or call for help. What a sad story.

A number of us suspected that she died first. A whole week along with her body, just awful.

I'm a little bit surprised he died of a heart attack vs. dehydration. Maybe he stayed on auto-pilot for certain things?
Really sad, also that they didn't have a system with anyone checking on them. Probably because she was so much younger and assumed to be fine.

Anonymous wrote:Holy S. I tuned in late, but Hackman's wife died of Hanta virus? Who had that in their bingo cards this year? Hackman was in the house for a week with his deceased wife before he died.

https://abc7.com/post/gene-hackman-death-sheriff-provide-updates-friday/15987259/?ex_cid=TA_KABC_FB&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+New+Content+%28Feed%29&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawI4QvJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbSF58aIKiKRp7IHCGGn2sqF27JcM-D8We7o9QQVfFeJYHLOWeGvV7-Xaw_aem_1mb4Gu6K72l_5hCO5Vyj2A


Suffering from Alzheimer's, he was probably just completely confused and had no idea how to process any of it or call for help. What a sad story.