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Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s bodies are no longer unclaimed.
The New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator website has removed their names from a list of “unclaimed decedents,” which were described as “people who have been identified, where Next-of-Kin has not been located.”
While their names were still on the list as of Thursday, a rep for the medical examiner’s office noted that “in many cases, OMI is in contact with legal next of kin, and plans are underway to transport the body to a funeral home or place of burial.”
It is unclear if Hackman’s family claimed their bodies. Gene and Betsy have no children together, but he had three children with his ex-wife Faye Maltese.
Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were found at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26.
The bodycam footage from the death scene was recently released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office.
In the videos, law enforcement officers are at the Hackman residence after a 911 call was placed. The footage is from several deputies who were walking outside the home.
In one video obtained by “Extra,” the deputies are seen interviewing one of the workers who found the bodies.
The groundskeeper gets emotional while talking about Gene and his Betsy, saying, “I get attached to all these people, you know? They treat me really well, and her, she was a sweetheart. And to see them like that…”
There is also video of a deputy speaking to Gene’s daughter Elizabeth on the phone about handling the remains of the dog that was found dead in the home along with Gene and Betsy.
She says, “I’m thinking, um, cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy.” She also asks, “If the dog was wearing a collar, could you save that for me?”
It is believed that Betsy died days before Gene from hantavirus. Gene died from heart disease with advanced Alzheimer’s as a contributing factor.
