HEARTBREAKING surveillance footage captured the final movements of Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa weeks before the couple’s mummified bodies were found on their sprawling New Mexico estate.
The bodies of Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found in different sections of their expansive Santa Fe home on February 26, after sheriff officials responded to a welfare check at the property.
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Two weeks before investigators stumbled upon the grim findings, Arakawa was captured on video keeping herself busy and running errands.
Surveillance footage showed Arakawa at a Sprouts Grocery Market self-checkout, purchasing groceries at around 4 pm on February 11.
Arakawa is captured on video wearing blue jeans, a dark coat, a scarf, and a black face mask.
Minutes later, Arakawa was seen on video stopping by Shine Pet Food store.
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The surveillance videos showed Arakawa was unaccompanied as she entered and exited the businesses without glaring health ailments.
The videos were part of a trove of documents released by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday as part of their investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa.
Investigators believe the couple died days apart, and due to Hackman’s advanced Alzheimer’s, it is possible he did not know his wife was dead.
The Academy Award-winning actor’s cause of death was determined to be hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease listed as a contributing factor.
Officials determined Hackman died on February 18.
Meanwhile, Arakawa died a week before her husband’s death from a rare rodent disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, according to the New Mexico Medical Examiner’s Office.
Bodycam shows inside Gene & wife’s hoarder home… and dog’s heartbreaking act
Hantavirus spreads when exposed to rodents’ urine, droppings, and saliva, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
BETSY’S INTERNET SEARCHES
Included in the newly released records were emails, phone calls, and internet searched by Arakawa, which indicated she had been scouring for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.
Between February 8 and the morning of February 12, Arakawa searched on her computer for medical conditions related to Covid-19 and flu-like symptoms.
The searches included questions about whether Covid-19 could cause dizziness or nosebleeds.
In an email to her therapist on February 11, Arakawa said Hackman had woken up on February 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms but tested negative for Covid-19.
In her message, she asked her therapist to reschedule her February 12 appointment for the following day “out of an abundance of caution.”
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HARROWING FIND
Bodycam footage released by the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office showed the moment responding deputies arrived at the puzzling scene, where one of the couple’s German Shepherd dogs was guarding Arakawa’s body.
“Poor guy, he’s sad,” one of the investigators can be heard saying.
A separate video showed the moment investigators find Hackman’s body in a separate section of the property.
“Two totally separate areas of the house,” a deputy is heard saying, as another responds, “Mhm, it’s strange.”
One of the couple’s three dogs was also found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near where Arakawa’s body was found.
The other two dogs were alive as one is heard barking in the background.
The video also showed deputies going through the rooms of the estate, checking for any signs of forced entry or foul play.
Investigators were seen counting cash that was found around the home, looking at prescription medication on one of the bathroom counters, and check the kitchen’s stove after any potential gas leak.
The leak concerns lead investigators to begin opening doors and windows around the house.
A separate video showed technicians inspecting the home for signs of a gas or carbon monoxide leak.
However, a thorough inspection showed there were no leaks.
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