Gene Hackman’s family blocks his, wife Betsy Arakawa’s autopsy results in shocking new twist
Gene Hackman’s family has filed to block the release of his and wife’s autopsy results, photos and investigation details in a “highly unusual” move.
The two-time Oscar winner, 95, and former classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 65, and one of their three dogs were found dead at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26.
Their deaths kickstarted a weeks-long investigation, which earlier this week saw a change in the timeline after a local doctor revealed that Arakawa called his clinic on February 12 — one day after police believed she died.
Now, Hackman’s camp filed to block the pair’s autopsy and death investigation results, a move sources tell The Sun is “very atypical” and “highly unusual.”
“Trying to block the autopsy report is very atypical, that is not something I have ever seen before,” an insider familiar with the investigation told the outlet.
“New Mexico doesn’t have an exemption for autopsy photos, and normally it’s not a concern, but when it comes to celebrity deaths, a lot of people will request them.”
“So it’s common where family members of celebrities would use the New Mexico courts to block release of photos specifically,” the source added.
“As with the Hackmans, Michael Jackson’s family blocked Tito Jackson’s autopsy photos, and with the Alec Baldwin shooting of Halyna Hutchins, her family did the same. However, blocking the actual autopsy report, again, is highly unusual.”
Earlier this week, Hackman’s family filed a temporary restraining order with the Santa Fe court to block the Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the Medical Investigator from releasing any images or videos of the pair’s lifeless bodies pending a hearing later this month.
In their petition to seal the photographs, the late actor’s family said he and Arakawa “lived an exemplary private life for over thirty years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and did not showcase their lifestyle.”
They also argued that the 14th Amendment gave family members the right to grieve without Hackman’s post-mortem photos paraded before the public.
The bizarre circumstances of the couple’s mysterious deaths — which occurred in different rooms and a week apart — have since sparked mass speculation online.
Authorities eventually revealed that Arakawa likely died of the rare, rodent-borne illness hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the bathroom of their sprawling home.
In their petition, the late actor’s family said he and Arakawa “lived an exemplary private life for over thirty years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and did not showcase their lifestyle.”
DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Hackman — who had been suffering from severe Alzheimer’s disease — seems to have remained alive in the house for a full week before dying of heart complications in the entryway, officials said.
One of their three dogs, which was in a crate recovering from surgery, died of starvation and dehydration, a state necropsy report revealed.
