Gene Hackman police body cam footage emerges as daughter heard making emotional request over bodies
Police have released bodycam footage from outside the Santa Fe home where Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead last month.
The footage, made public on Friday, provides new insights into the investigation of the couple’s deaths after their bodies were discovered on February 26.
Multiple videos captured conversations between officers and witnesses at the scene, including contractors who initially raised the alarm.
The couple’s bodies had begun to mummify by the time they were found, with authorities determining they had died at least a week apart.
In the footage, a handyman can be heard discussing the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning with officers, initially suspected as a cause of death.
“That big vent you see on the roof by the front door, that thing’s like that big around, so it’s meant to vent,” the worker explained.
When asked if gas could have leaked through kitchen appliances, he responded: “It shouldn’t. I don’t see how this is both of them are down like this. Something’s not right.”
A visibly emotional groundskeeper told police: “He’s just a normal person and to see that, both of them… sorry, I get attached to all these people, they treat me really well.”
One of the most poignant moments in the released footage shows a phone conversation between a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputy and Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth.
In the call, which took place on February 27, Elizabeth makes a heartfelt request regarding the couple’s deceased dog, Zinna.
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“I’m thinking cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy (Arakawa),” she tells the officer.
Elizabeth also asks the deputy: “If the dog was wearing a collar, could you save that for me?”
The 12-year-old dog was the oldest of the couple’s three pets and had been found dead alongside the bodies.
According to the Santa Fe County animal control agency’s report, Zinna was found dead in a crate near Arakawa’s body.
The report noted “partial mummification” of the dog’s remains, which may have obscured changes in the organs.
Zinna’s stomach contained only small amounts of hair and bile, leading officials to conclude the dog died from starvation and dehydration.
Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility, described Zinna as “always attached at the hip” with Arakawa.
“Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand,” Padilla explained.
Medical examiners determined that Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease transmitted by rodents.
Hackman, who was 95, died from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with his advanced Alzheimer’s disease listed as a significant contributing factor.
Authorities initially believed Arakawa had died around February 11, with Hackman following on February 18, when his pacemaker last recorded heart activity.
However, phone records later revealed Arakawa made multiple calls to a Santa Fe medical centre on February 12, adjusting the timeline of her death.
Hackman’s estate filed a petition last week attempting to block the release of photos or video footage from inside the home.
The estate argued that the Hackmans took “vigilant steps to safeguard their privacy” during their lifetime.
The legal filing sought to “preserve the privacy of the Hackmans following their tragic death and support the family’s constitutional right to remembrance and desire to grieve in peace.”
A Santa Fe judge has already ruled that photos of the couple’s partially mummified bodies would not be released to the public.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for March 31.
Meanwhile, the couple’s two surviving dogs, Bear and Nikita, are being looked after by family friend Joey Padilla until he learns what Arakawa wanted for them.
Santa Fe Fire Department Chief Brian Moya told reporters the surviving dogs helped authorities locate the bodies, running up to first responders and barking before leading them in the right direction.
Hackman is survived by his three children from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese: Elizabeth, Leslie and Christopher.