Additional Coverage:
Santa Fe, NM – Following the discovery of the mummified remains of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and one of their dogs in their Santa Fe home last month, new details have emerged regarding the family’s wishes.
Police bodycam footage, obtained from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, reveals a conversation with Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth. In the recording, she requests that the family dog be cremated and its ashes buried with Mrs.
Arakawa. She also asked authorities to preserve the dog’s collar if it was still present.
The footage offers a poignant glimpse into the private life of the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, who had retreated from public life in recent years. While the circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under investigation, the advanced state of decomposition suggests they had been deceased for a considerable time.
Authorities have confirmed that Mr. Hackman died from heart disease complicated by Alzheimer’s disease, and Mrs.
Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
According to investigators, Mr. Hackman, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s, likely did not know of his wife’s passing.
His body was found near the home’s entrance, while Mrs. Arakawa’s was discovered in a bathroom.
The dog, a kelpie mix named Zinnia, was found in a crate in a nearby closet. A necropsy performed by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab indicated no signs of trauma, disease, or poisoning in the dog.
Two other dogs in the home survived.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate and will release further information as it becomes available.