A heartbreaking video just came out from inside Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s house in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It shows one of their dogs staying right by Betsy’s body, like it was still trying to protect her.
The footage came from a police body cam and shows just how sad and messy things were when officers walked through their home.
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One dog wouldn’t leave Betsy’s side
Police footage from the day they were found shows one of their three dogs sitting next to Betsy. It just stayed there, not moving, almost guarding her.
The video, which is about 11 minutes long, came out from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
When cops walked into the bathroom where Betsy was, they saw their German shepherd just sitting there, a few feet away from her body, looking anxious.
One of the officers said, “Poor guy, he’s sad.”
Another dog didn’t survive
In a big walk-in closet nearby, police found a pet crate. Inside was another one of their dogs — a 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix.
Sadly, it was also dead.
The house was in disarray
As deputies searched the house, they found piles of clothes, papers, and pictures scattered everywhere.
Eventually, they reached the mudroom, which is where they found Gene’s body. One of the deputies said it looked like Gene had been trying to go outside.
Investigators described what they saw
One investigator said Gene’s skin looked red and purple, and his body was stiff, with his mouth open.
There were black sunglasses on the ground next to him, and a black walking cane nearby. The officer said it looked like Gene just suddenly collapsed right there.
Their causes of death weren’t the same
The couple was found on February 26 after security noticed their bodies through a window. At first, cops thought maybe gas was involved — one deputy even said, “It smells like gas.” But that was ruled out.
Medical examiners later said Betsy died around February 12 from something called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which comes from rodent droppings and urine.
Gene passed away a few days later, on February 18, from heart disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s and kidney issues also playing a role.
Gene might not have realized Betsy had passed
Because Gene’s health was already pretty bad, investigators think he may not have known Betsy had passed.
A report said their house had a rodent problem, which likely led to Betsy getting that rare virus. The New Mexico health department checked the place later and said it was basically a perfect spot for hantavirus to spread.
Rodents had been an issue for a while
Even though the main house looked fairly clean, they found rodent droppings in three garages and two casitas on the property.
The sheds were also easy for mice and rats to get into. Inspectors found dead and live rodents, plus traps — so the problem had been going on for some time.
Betsy looked up symptoms before she died
A report said Betsy had been googling stuff about flu and COVID symptoms just before she died. She searched things like whether COVID can cause dizziness or nosebleeds.
She also emailed her masseuse saying that Gene had flu-like symptoms on February 11 but tested negative for COVID. Betsy said she needed to reschedule her appointment “out of an abundance of caution.”
Zinna died after being left alone too long
Zinna, their 12-year-old Kelpie mix, was the one found dead in the crate. A necropsy showed she likely died from dehydration and starvation.
Just awful.
What happens to their estate is still unclear
Gene’s will from 1995 had Betsy as his only heir. But Betsy’s will had a different plan — if they died within 90 days of each other, the estate would go to charity.
The thing is, Betsy’s only surviving family member is her 91-year-old mom, who has dementia. So it’s not clear who’s legally allowed to handle things.
Gene lived a very private life
Gene was a Hollywood legend — he won two Oscars and was in big movies like The French Connection, Hoosiers, and Superman.
He quit acting after 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport and pretty much stayed out of the spotlight after that. The couple were very private.
His daughters told police he had memory issues and didn’t even remember it was his birthday last year until they reminded him a few times. They said they saw mouse traps in the house, but didn’t know how bad the rodent issue really was.
A judge allowed the footage to be released
After Gene’s estate tried to block certain investigation records from being made public, a judge ruled that videos, photos, and audio could be released under New Mexico law.
But he also said their bodies had to be blurred in all footage.
