Bodycam footage reveals why Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa slept in different rooms before their deaths

SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO: Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa had been together for decades, but they reportedly slept apart in their final days.

Radar Online uncovered new details about what really went down inside the couple’s Santa Fe home before their bodies were discovered in different locations on February 26.

Despite their deep bond, the couple’s shared love for dogs may have played a role in their unusual sleeping arrangements. In a tragic twist of fate, it was their loyal pets who first sensed something was terribly wrong. 

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were found in separate rooms after dogs alerted paramedics

Gene Hackman, 95, was discovered lying in the entryway of their home, his cane resting beside him. Meanwhile, his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, was found in a nearby bathroom. Meanwhile, the couple’s 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix Zinna was discovered in a crate just 10 to 15 feet away from Betsy’s body—dead and in a mummified state.

While the cause of their deaths seemed unrelated, authorities took no chances, launching a thorough investigation into what they called “suspicious circumstances.”

It was almost poetic that their dogs were the first to sound the alarm. When paramedics arrived at the home in February, the dogs immediately started barking—almost as if they were trying to guide rescuers to their owners.

Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya described the eerie moment. “They realized (the dog) was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!’” he said.

One of the dogs even sat beside Hackman’s body. 

But while their surviving dogs Bear (a German Shepherd) and Nikita (an Akita-Shepherd mix) were free to roam, poor Zinna had not been so lucky. The pet, who had recently undergone a veterinary procedure, was found starved to death inside a crate.

Gene Hackman’s complicated relationship with the dogs

The couple had a reputation as devoted dog lovers, but apparently, not all the dogs loved Gene Hackman back.

According to Joey Padilla, the owner of Santa Fe Tails (a pet daycare and boarding center where the couple frequently left their dogs), Hackman wasn’t exactly the “dog dad” in the house.

Padilla admitted in a police bodycam video, “(The dogs) were really rough with Gene. Betsy was the one who dealt with all of the dogs. Gene didn’t do anything with the dogs. And that's why they slept in separate places, in different parts of the house.”

So while Hackman and Arakawa may have been a tight-knit couple, their four-legged family members unintentionally kept them apart in their final days.

Inside the investigation into Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's deaths

There were no obvious signs of foul play. The sheriff’s office ruled out blunt force trauma, carbon monoxide poisoning, and forced entry. But deputies noted that the front door had been left ajar—a strange detail in an otherwise undisturbed scene.

As for the causes of death, investigators determined that Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome—a rare, deadly respiratory disease contracted from rodent droppings— and Hackman likely passed days later from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributing factor.

While the findings provided some answers, authorities still launched a full-scale search and investigation just to be sure.

Fate of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's surviving dogs

With their owners gone, the surviving dogs, Bear and Nikita, needed a new home. Thankfully, they ended up in familiar hands.

Joey Padilla, the couple’s trusted pet caretaker, took them in and ensured they were safe and well cared for.

“They are surrounded by people they know who love them and are committed to their safety,” Padilla confirmed.