Authorities have concluded their investigation into the mysterious deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Aaraka, but everything regarding their situation is not quite over.
Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s estate is still fighting for their privacy.
The estate is attempting to block the release of photos, videos, and police bodycam footage related to the couple’s deaths.
According to PEOPLE, a representative for the estate of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, filed a petition in court to try to block the release.
Lawyer Kurt Sommer filed a petition Tuesday in the state District Court in Santa Fe attempting to prevent the medical investigator and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office from releasing the footage.
The petition wants to block the release of the couple’s autopsy and “death investigation” until their deaths can be litigated.
Sommer wrote that once the images are released, “the bell cannot be unrung.”
The estate is seeking to “prevent the Office of the Medical Investigator and the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office from releasing, including but not limited to, any and all photographic evidence, video evidence, and body cam footage gathered through each entity’s respective investigations into the death of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa-Hackman.”
The 95-year-old and 65-year-old were found dead at their property in Santa Fe Summit last month.
Arakawa was found in a bathroom next to a space heater, while Oscar-winner Gene Hackman was found dead in an entryway.
The Santa Fe detective who examined the scene said there was “bloating in her face and mummification in her hands and feet.”
Gene Hackman and Wife Betsy’s Surviving Dogs Assisted First Responders
Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, tragically lost their lives at some point last month before they were ultimately found.
Both were found partially mummified in separate rooms of their New Mexico home.
Their surviving dogs were credited with helping responders find them.
The couple’s two living dogs continuously ran up to them, barking and running off in a different direction.
Hackman died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, while Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome.
