Gene Hackman death: Body camera footage released; wife searched internet about symptoms

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa on the red carpet at the Golden Globes.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa FILE PHOTO: Gene Hackman arrives at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, CA on January 19, 2003. New details are still being released about the investigation surrounding the couple's death earlier this year. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Police have released the body camera footage of when they searched the Arizona home of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, as more details of the couple’s final days are coming to light.

The video, along with photos and other documents, was released Tuesday after a court order required that the images of Hackman’s and Arakawa’s remains be obscured.

Hackman’s family and the estate had requested the courts seal the records to protect their privacy. A temporary court order had blocked the public release.

The estate’s attorney had argued that the couple wanted to remain private throughout their life and that their desire to be out of the public eye should extend into their death.

The video shows officials walking through the couple’s Santa Fe home on Feb. 26 looking for them. When Arakawa was found in the bathroom, one of the couple’s dogs was sitting near her body. She was near a locked exterior door.

Police then walked through the home and found Hackman dead on the other side of the house. Two of the dogs were found alive. One was found dead in a crate near where Arakawa was found. The dog was recovering from surgery.

“Two totally separate areas of the house,” an officer was heard on camera, then another responded, “Mhm, it’s strange.”

The video showed that the officers were concerned about a possible gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning, so they opened doors and windows. Tests showed there were no leaks.

The footage also showed investigators searching through the house looking for anything amiss and documenting cash and prescription medication.

Police also released the search history and other computer files from Arakawa from the days leading up to her death.

Officials said she searched for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques. The searches were done between Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12 and included whether COVID-19 could cause dizziness or nosebleeds.

She had at one point ordered oxygen canisters from Amazon.

She also told her massage therapist in an email that her husband woke up on Feb. 11 with flu or cold symptoms but tested negative for COVID-19, but would reschedule her appointment “out of an abundance of caution.”

Arakawa also searched for concierge medical service in the area on Feb. 12. It was previously released that she had a call with an office that lasted less than two minutes, then a missed call from the same office later that day.

Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus on Feb. 12, while Hackman, 95, died about a week later, on Feb. 17 or 18, of heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease. He tested negative for hantavirus. His pacemaker’s last recorded activity was on Feb. 18.

A private memorial was held for the couple earlier this month in Santa Fe. It was attended by their three children and close friends.

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