Sun Mar 23 12:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Hackman’s Daughter Requests Dog’s Cremation After Bodies of Actor, Wife, and Pet Found Mummified
**Santa Fe, NM** – Newly released police bodycam footage reveals the heartbreaking aftermath of the discovery of the mummified remains of Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dog Zinna at their New Mexico home last month. Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth Hackman, instructed authorities to cremate Zinna, a kelpie mix, and bury her with her mother. The footage shows her emotional plea to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputy, also requesting the dog’s collar as a keepsake.
The couple, who were found roughly a week after their deaths due to the naturally mummifying effects of the New Mexico climate, died from separate causes. Arakawa, 65, succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, while 95-year-old Hackman passed away from complications of heart problems and Alzheimer’s disease approximately a week later. Zinna died from dehydration and starvation, according to veterinarians. The couple’s two other dogs were found alive and healthy and have since been rehomed.
Bodycam footage also shows the emotional reaction of the couple’s groundskeeper, who expressed shock and sadness at finding them deceased and in the state they were discovered. He stated that he noticed nothing amiss prior to the discovery.
Earlier this week, Hackman’s family filed a request to block the public release of autopsy results and investigation details surrounding the deaths. The family has yet to release a statement, other than through their interactions with law enforcement.
First Piper 