Heartbreaking Gene Hackman footage shows wife Betsy Arakawa's final hours (2025)

New CCTV footage has emerged of Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa's final hours as she went shopping for groceries and dog food in the hours leading up to her death

New footage has emerged of Gene Hackman's wife Betsy Arakawa's final hours. Heartbreaking footage has emerged of Betsy out shopping for groceries just a day before they believe she died.

In new footage, Betsy was seen picking up groceries at around 4pm on February 11 at a Sprouts Grocery Market self-checkout before she headed to nearby Shine Pet Food store to pick up dog food for her and Gene's beloved dogs. Betsy died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome around February 12, which is a rare condition that is spread via rodent droppings and urine.

Gene died on February 18 - six days later - from severe heart disease, which was exacerbated by Alzheimer's disease and kidney disease, an investigation by Santa Fe's Sherriff Office found.

The new footage shows that Betsy was wearing blue jeans, a scarf and a coat, as well as a black face mask as she made her way around the store.

Police arrived at Gene and Betsy's home after a worried call from a maintenance worker. On arriving at the property, they discovered both Gene and Betsy had died alongside one of their dogs, who died of dehydration and starvation. The other two dogs were alive.

An investigator in a report stated: "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."

The couple's dogs have since been re-homed, according to Joey Padilla, owner of Santa Fe Tails doggy day care. He had been looking after the pair since the tragic deaths and has since found them somewhere new to live.

"It is with great joy that, with the consent of the estate attorney, I and my staff at Santa Fe Tails have successfully found homes for the Hackmans' surviving dogs, Bear and Nikita," he wrote.

"We went through stringent efforts to ensure the best homes were found and the dogs have already begun settling into their new lives. We are all thankful for the concern and well wishes Bear and Nikita have received during their transition. It is our hope that everyone continues to wish them the best and honour their privacy so they can continue to heal."

Gene and Betsy were fond of their dogs and in a heartbreaking act, one of the dogs sat and guarded Betsy's dead body when police entered the property, showing the loving bond shared between dog and owner.

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