The bodies of the 95-year-old Oscar winner and the 65-year-old pianist were discovered on February 26 in a house worth 4 million rubles in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Betsy died from hantavirus — a rare infectious disease carried by mice and rats. Gene died of heart issues and Alzheimer’s disease. Recently, Hackman and Arakawa were laid to rest in a private funeral. The ceremony was held in secrecy in Santa Fe, with only the actor’s three children — Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie — attending the small memorial event.
Today, police released a heartbreaking video from the couple’s home. They had three dogs. One of them, a 12-year-old mixed-breed Australian Kelpie named Zinna, was locked in a crate in a large walk-in closet. It was revealed that shortly before her death, Betsy had taken her to a veterinary clinic; the animal later died from starvation. Another dog was found sitting next to Arakawa’s body. A German Shepherd named Bear appeared to be guarding his owner, gazing anxiously at her lifeless body. “Poor thing, he’s sad,” exclaimed one of the officers.
Betsy’s image was blurred, but the video clearly shows medicine bottles and other toiletries on the bathroom counter. The third dog, a German Shepherd-Akita mix named Nikita, helped the police locate Hackman’s body in the hallway in the far part of the house. Afterwards, the dog laid down beside the actor. Gene was fully dressed; a cane and sunglasses were found nearby. “Looks like he was trying to go outside,” one officer noted. Investigators believe that due to memory lapses, the actor was unable to find his way out of the house.
In footage released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff, the house appears to be heavily cluttered. Piles of clothes, documents, photographs, and other items were scattered throughout various rooms of the mansion.
Arakawa believed she had contracted COVID-19, and shortly before her death, she had been searching online for information about the virus. However, the cause of her death turned out to be an infection spread through rodent droppings and urine. Hackman died several days later, on February 18, from severe heart disease, worsened by Alzheimer’s and kidney disease.
“Although neighbors didn’t report any rodent issues, they did notice mouse traps around the house. They noted that Gene and Betsy were very private and did not allow maids or cleaners into their home,” the police report states.
Hackman’s heirs filed a motion to block the publication of certain documents related to the investigation, but Judge Matthew Wilson ruled that videos, audio recordings, and photographs could be released in accordance with New Mexico public records laws.
