Nearly a month after Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead, bodycam footage from the scene outside their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been released.
As Perezcious readers know, the 95-year-old actor and 64-year-old classical pianist were found dead inside their house on February 26 along with their 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix Zinna. Officials concluded Betsy died about a week before her husband from the rare disease hantavirus. Gene had advanced Alzheimer’s, and it is unknown if he knew his wife passed away before he died from cardiovascular disease on February 18.
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Now, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has released the police bodycam footage, giving further details about the aftermath of the tragedy. A video obtained by TMZ on Friday showed a heartbreaking phone conversation between an officer named Leonard and Gene’s daughter Elizabeth one day following the horrific discovery of Betsy and him. The cop offered her “condolences” before asking about handling the remains of Zinna, to which she replied:
“I’m thinking, um, cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy. If the dog was wearing a collar, could you save that for me?”
From what we’ve heard, Betsy loved and cared for all three of their dogs so much. Having Zinna buried with her would be a touching way to honor that…
In another clip taken on February 26, deputies had an emotional conversation with the groundskeeper who discovered Betsy and Gene’s bodies that same day. The employee opened up about his relationship with the police, saying:
“They’ve been here all the time, and they go in and out just like nothing, you know. I didn’t see anything that would to like think something going on, you know, nothing. She’s always nice, and he always give me s**t, you know, about buying new vehicles, he always say … it’s time for you to get a new truck. He’s just, just a normal person, you know, and I was to see that both of them.”
He then gets choked up before continuing:
“I get attached to all these people. They treat me really well, and like her, she, she was a sweetheart and to see them like that…”
So awful. You can tell the groundskeeper was really torn up over the losses. Watch the bodycam footage (below):
The release of the footage comes after a representative for the couple’s estate requested to block the release of the autopsy and investigation reports related to their death. A judge ruled earlier this week that photos of Gene and Betsy’s bodies, which showed signs of decomposition and mummification, would not be released to the public. The court also issued a temporary restraining order against the release of shots of the interior of Betsy and Gen’s home. A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for March 31. Depending on how the judge rules on the issue, there could be more footage and details coming out about the investigation soon…
Reactions to the newly released videos, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
[Image via Letterman/YouTube, WENN]
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