Gene Hackman’s family has filed to block his and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s autopsy and investigation results, in a move that’s been deemed “highly unusual.”
The Hollywood legend, 95, and his spouse, a former classic pianist, 65, passed away sometime in February. Their bodies, as well as one of their three dogs, were found in their Santa Fe, New Mexico home at the end of the month.
It took weeks for authorities to confirm what caused their passing. For Hackman, heart disease was to blame, and his Alzheimer’s was a contributing factor. His wife suffered from hantavirus infection — but a local doctor has also revealed that she had called a clinic on February 12, one day after police assumed she had d–ed.
Gene Hackman’s family has blocked his and his wife’s autopsy results from being released
Now that the Hackman family wants to prevent the release of the results, a source familiar with the investigation has opened up to The Sun.
“Trying to block the autopsy report is very atypical, that is not something I have ever seen before,” they claimed. “New Mexico doesn’t have an exemption for autopsy photos, and normally it’s not a concern, but when it comes to celebrity de–ths, a lot of people will request them.
“So it’s common where family members of celebrities would use the New Mexico courts to block release of photos specifically.”
They continued, “As with the Hackmans, Michael Jackson’s family blocked Tito Jackson’s autopsy photos, and with the Alec Baldwin shooting of Halyna Hutchins, her family did the same.
“However, blocking the actual autopsy report, again, is highly unusual.”
This was deemed “highly unusual” by an inside source
Earlier this week, Hackman’s family also filed a temporary restraining order, barring the Santa Fe court from releasing any photos or videos of Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies, as well as their lifeless dog, or the inside of their home.
In response to this decision, they said that the actor and his wife “lived an exemplary private life for over thirty years in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and did not showcase their lifestyle.”
As reported by the New York Post, they argued that the 14th Amendment stated they had the right to grieve without Hackman’s post-mortem photos being released to the public.
On February 26, the two-time Oscar winner and his spouse were found deceased in their sprawling estate by a maintenance worker who had shown up to do a routine sweep. The actor was lying in the entryway, while Arakawa was found in the bathroom.
A weeks-long investigation then proceeded as the news broke, with authorities scrambling to figure out what had caused the couple to pass.
Hackman’s daughter suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, while others thought foul play couldn’t be ruled out entirely. But two days after they were found, on February 28, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza gave an official statement confirming their causes of de–th.
One of Hackman and Arakawa’s dogs was found lifeless, as well
However, it seems the timeline of events is still shifting.
As reported by NBC News, cellphone records show Arakawa had made three calls to Cloudberry, a private medical clinic, on February 12, but she failed to pick up a returned call that afternoon.
“There were a couple calls back and forth to just schedule that appointment for the afternoon, but she never showed up,” said Dr. Josiah Child, a lead doctor at the clinic. “Our office called back several times and never got an answer.”
Child also confirmed she had called to describe “some congestion but didn’t mention any respiratory distress, shortness of breath, or chest pain,” which are all symptoms of hantavirus.
This was information that was not previously available when chief medical examiner Heather Jarrell spoke during a news conference on March 7.
“The information was based on what was available at the time,” Chris Ramirez, a spokesperson for the medical investigator’s office, told the outlet via email.
“As with all de–th investigations, the NM OMI [New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator] and law enforcement will continue to work closely together to determine the facts necessary to close the case.”
The entire case was deemed “bizarre” and strange by netizens
