Controversial ending for Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa hints at family discord

The bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have yet to be claimed, even a month after they were discovered deceased, sparking speculations about a possible estrangement with the late actor’s children.

Hackman and Arakawa’s remains are still being held by the Office of the Medical Examiner of New Mexico, DailyMail.com has confirmed.

Iconic actor Hackman and Arakawa were listed as ‘unclaimed decedents’, according to a list posted by the Medical Examiner on March 24.

The Medical Examiner office updates the list each Monday. 

The apparent snub could fuel claims Hackman was estranged from his three children Leslie Ann, Christopher and Elizabeth, who all live in California.

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, were found dead at their compound in Santa Fe, New Mexico on February 26.

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, seen in a photograph from 1993. At present, the coroner in New Mexico has confirmed that their bodies remain unclaimed more than 30 days after their passing

The couple were found dead at their Santa Fe compound late last month after Arakawa was killed by a virus, with Hackman dying a week later

Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman all live in California. They are pictured with their father in 1978

Arakawa died first of a rodent-borne illness called hantavirus. Hackman, who had severe Alzheimer’s disease, died a week later.

Tragically, their cherished pet, a 12-year-old crossbreed dog named Zinna, was also found deceased inside a kennel. The results of a postmortem examination indicated that Zinna likely perished due to a lack of water and sustenance, as per records obtained by DailyMail.com.

Earlier this week, DailyMail.com revealed that red tape and tension between the siblings themselves may be the reason the bodies remain in state custody. 

Christopher, Elizabeth and Leslie Hackman were born during Hackman’s previous marriage to wife Faye Maltese. 

It is unclear if Hackman, who had an $80 million fortune, left behind legally-binding burial or cremation instructions.

Court battles could ensue if his children disagree on how and where to lay him to rest. 

The actor had left his $80 million Hollywood fortune to his wife, but since she was believed to have died about a week before him, there could be other legal complications.

In her will, Arakawa designated her assets to a trust, to be distributed to charitable organizations and the settlement of medical debts. 

Hackman did not leave anything for his three children in his will. The actor left his $80million fortune to Arakawa

Arakawa is survived by her 91-year-old mother, Yoshie Feaster, who also is suffering from dementia. 

Since Arakawa’s only living relative is her mother —and her mother has dementia — she likely lacks the legal capacity to make those decisions.

A New Mexico court last week granted a temporary restraining order against the release of any photographs and video showing Hackman and his wife the inside of their home. Hackman’s estate had filed the petition to withhold images, citing the need to protect the family’s constitutional right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment.

A hearing on the matter has been scheduled for March 31. 

Arakawa, born in Hawaii, studied as a concert pianist, attended the University of Southern California and met Hackman in the mid-1980s while working at a California gym.

Hackman, a Hollywood icon, won two Oscars during a storied career in films including The French Connection, Hoosiers and Superman from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.

The pair led a private life after moving to Santa Fe decades ago. 

A representative for the couple’s estate has cited that privacy in seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports related to their deaths, especially photographs and video. 

It will be up to a state district judge to consider that request.

The couple’s other two dogs — a German shepherd named Bear and another dog named Nikita, both survived, according to Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care, where Hackman and Arakawa often boarded their dogs. Both are being cared for.

Elizabeth Hackman told a Sheriff’s deputy how the third dog’s remains should be handled.

‘I’m thinking cremate the dog [Zinna] and bury it with Betsy,’ Elizabeth was heard saying in the video obtained by DailyMail.com. 

Deputies, paramedics and the Fire Department rushed to the home on February 26 after a caretaker made the grisly discovery of Arakawa’s dead body.  

Investigators believe the late actor died around February 18 at age 95 from severe heart disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease as a ‘significant’ contributing factor.

Officials with the New Mexico medical investigator’s office said Arakawa, 64, died a week before Hackman from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is a severe respiratory illness caused by contact with infected rodents.