UPDATE: |Gene Hackman police video shows dog’s heartbreaking reaction to owner’s death News

Footage has been released showing the moment police officers made their way into the home shared by Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa

Distressing footage from inside the home of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa reveals their grieving dog keeping vigil over her lifeless body.

The video, released today by New Mexico police, shows officers meticulously searching the secluded couple’s cluttered home. The couple’s German Shepherd is seen anxiously gazing at Betsy’s lifeless body in the bathroom of their Santa Fe property.

In the 11-minute clip, an investigator can be heard saying: “Poor guy, he’s sad,” referring to the distressed pet. While Betsy’s body is obscured in the footage, the disarray and squalor of the house are clearly visible.

A pet crate containing another deceased dog was discovered in a large walk-in closet on February 26. The house was strewn with piles of clothes, documents, and various other items.

Gene, aged 95, passed away due to heart disease complications from Alzheimer’s, approximately a week after Betsy, 65, succumbed to hantavirus. Gene’s body was found in the mudroom area of the house, reports the Mirror.

An investigator noted in a report: “I observed the the male’s extremities to be red and purple in colour, the male appeared to be stiff, and his mouth was open. I also observed a pair of black sunglasses to the to the left on the male that were on the ground. To the right of the male, I observed a black-in-colour walking cane. It appeared as if the male suddenly collapsed.”

In the footage, deputies can be seen methodically airing out the residence by opening doors and windows. One is heard remarking, “It smells like gas.”

Carbon monoxide poisoning was eventually dismissed as the cause of death by investigators.

Medical examiners concluded Betsy, a classical pianist, died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome around February 12, a rare condition brought about by the hantavirus that is spread via rodent droppings and urine. Gene, who married Betsy in 1991, died a few days later on February 18 from severe heart disease, which was exacerbated by Alzheimer’s disease and kidney disease.

The records detailed some of Betsy’s last emails, phone calls and internet searches appear to show she was looking for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques. The documents and footage were released after a court ruled that most of them are public record but ordered the couple’s bodies would have to be blocked or blurred from view.

Gene, born in San Bernardino, California, appeared in a broad range of movie roles dating back to 1961, when he debuted in Mad Dog Coll. His roles included playing the arch nemesis Lex Luthor in the Superman movies and a coach finding redemption in the sentimental favourite Hoosiers.

He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for The French Connection in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for Unforgiven two decades later. He retired in the early 2000s.

His wife, from Honolulu, Hawaii, was a famous musician. She studied piano and, as early as an 11-year-old sixth grader, performed in youth concerts in front of thousands of students at the Honolulu International Centre Concert Hall, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported in 1971.

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