Albuquerqe, NM – The authorities have published images of body cameras outside the house of Gene Hackman, where actor and wife Betsy Arakawa was found dead at the end of February.
What you need to know
- The authorities have published images of body cameras outside the house of Gene Hackman, where the actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at the end of February
- The images show that the deputies discuss with the two workers who called the authorities after seeing someone lying on the floor inside the house
- The deputies initially indicated that they were concerned about the possibility of a gas leak, but there were no leaks
- Medical investigators later confirmed that Hackman died from a heart disease with Alzheimer’s complications about a week after a rare original disease to rodents called Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome took the life of his wife
The images expelled show that deputies discuss with the two workers who called the authorities to report having seen someone lying on the floor inside the house. Without signs of forced entry or other evidence of suspicious circumstances, the deputies asked questions about the possibility of a gas leak or a carbon monoxide poisoning, and the workers said they did not see how it could have been.
“Something is wrong,” said one of the workers.
The authorities quickly determined that there were no leaks that could have been fatal, still fueling a mystery that drew public attention.
It was resolved about a week later, when medical investigators confirmed that Hackman died of heart disease with Alzheimer’s complications about a week after Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome – a rare disease and transmitted by rodents – took the life of his wife.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff Office published only some of the investigation images.
A New Mexico court last week granted a temporary prohibition order against the release of any photograph and video showing Hackman and his wife inside their house. The succession of Hackman had deposited the petition to refuse images, citing the need to protect the constitutional right of the family to private life in sorrow under the 14th amendment.
The workers who had maintained ownership spoke to investigators to respect Hackman and Arawaka privacy. A worker described Arawaka as a private person.
The images of the body camera also show brief observations of one of the dogs of the couple flowing in the wooded hills on their property on the edge of Santa Fe. A man who identified himself with officers like a dog coach who took care of the couple dogs said that the couple was “crazy” on their dogs.
“There are toys around property,” he said.
In a separate video, Arakawa’s hairdresser told investigators that his client had taken dogs with her everywhere and that the smallest would often hang around in the show with them during his visits.
This dog was found inside a box, not far from Arakawa’s body. A report obtained by the Associated Press of the Veterinary Laboratory of the State Department of Agriculture declares that the dog is probably died of dehydration and famine.
The actor’s daughter Elizabeth Hackman told the authorities that she wanted the deceased dog to be cremated. The authorities put it in contact with the local animal refuge to talk about the options.