Newly released police bodycam footage has been released showing police officers managing the aftermath following the deaths of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa.
The bodies of the Hollywood legend and his wife were discovered on February 26 following mounting concerns from those close to the couple.
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Their longtime contractor, Jesse Kesler, had grown uneasy after weeks without communication from the pair.
When he arrived at the home for a wellness check, he and the couple’s security guard ultimately found Arakawa's body. Gene’s body was later found near the home’s entryway.
Zinfandel (nicknamed "Zinna"), the family’s kelpie mix, was found inside a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa.
A report from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab confirmed the dog was partially mummified, Time Magazine reports. There were no signs of trauma, disease, or poisoning. Zinnia’s stomach was mostly empty, containing only traces of hair and bile.
The couple’s two other dogs survived.
Daughter Makes Heartfelt Request
Gene Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth, can be heard making a heartfelt request in the aftermath of a tragic discovery inside the legendary actor’s Santa Fe home.
The request came during a phone conversation captured on newly released police bodycam footage obtained by TMZ, where she asks that Zinna be cremated and laid to rest alongside Arakawa
“I’m thinking … cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy,” Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth, said to a deputy.
She also asked officers to preserve a sentimental item. “If the dog was wearing a collar could you save that for me?” Elizabeth said. She can also be heard wondering if the deceased dog was the older one, which was later confirmed — Zinna was 12 and the eldest of the couple’s three dogs.
The second video released by TMZ showed a visibly distraught groundskeeper reacting to the scene.
“To see that, both of them … I’m sorry,” the man said through tears. “I get attached to all these people. They treat me really well. And I met her [Betsy]. She was a sweetheart and to see them like that…”
Cause Of Deaths
According to the New Mexico medical investigator’s office, both Hackman and Arakawa's deaths have been listed as "natural" - but they are believed to have died a week apart and of different causes, CNN reports.
Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare rodent-borne disease, likely around February 11.
Authorities believe Hackman passed roughly a week later, on or around February 18, the last date his pacemaker recorded activity. He died of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease listed as a significant contributing factor.
His autopsy also revealed severe heart disease, chronic high blood pressure, and evidence of multiple prior heart surgeries and heart attacks.
Officials believe Hackman may not have realized Arakawa had died. “It’s quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased,” the medical investigator said, citing the actor’s advanced Alzheimer’s.
Authorities ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning early in the investigation, despite initial concerns from deputies. Both Hackman and Arakawa tested negative for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, and there were no signs of trauma on either body.
The investigation remains technically open to “tie up loose ends,” although the medical examiner does not expect any major new findings.
Hackman's Estate Attempted To Block Footage
Bodycam footage released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has become a point of contention.
The Hackman estate filed a petition to block the release of any photos or videos from inside the home, citing the couple’s lifelong commitment to privacy. The legal filing, obtained by CNN and FOX News Digital, described Hackman and Arakawa as intensely private residents of Santa Fe who “lived an exemplary private life for over thirty years.”
Lawyer Kurt Sommer, representing the estate, argued that “the bell cannot be unrung” once footage is released, and cited precedent from the court’s refusal to release death-scene photos of Kurt Cobain.
Sommer stressed that the couple's constitutional right to privacy and their family’s right to grieve in peace should outweigh any public interest.
Despite the legal pushback, the Sheriff’s Office stated the footage released does not fall under the scope of the estate's lawsuit, per local news outlet KOB4.
Gene Hackman, a two-time Oscar winner known for his roles in The French Connection, Unforgiven, and The Royal Tenenbaums, had lived a quiet life in New Mexico since retiring from acting.
He and Arakawa, a former classical pianist, were married in 1991.
The Hollywood icon also shared three children with his late ex-wife, Faye Maltese, who died in 2017.
Our thoughts continue to go out to the family's loved ones and fans at this time.