The bodies of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa remain unclaimed more than a month after they were discovered dead at their Santa Fe home in New Mexico.
The couple, who had been married for 34 years, were found deceased on February 26, 2025 after a maintenance worker alerted authorities.
Officials determined that Arakawa, 65, a classical pianist, died around February 11, whilst Hackman, 95, passed away approximately a week later on February 18.
Their bodies were severely decomposed when discovered, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
One of the couple’s three dogs was also found dead at the property, whilst two others were discovered alive and well.
The tragic discovery has fuelled speculation about the two-time Oscar winner’s relationship with his three adult children from his first marriage.
Medical examiners have determined that Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare respiratory disease carried by rodents.
Dr Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Examiner, confirmed that signs of rodent entry were identified at the property.
“Hantavirus can be transmitted to people through rodent urine, droppings or saliva,” Dr Jarrell explained at a press conference earlier this month.
Hackman’s cause of death was ruled as “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor.”
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The actor had been suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease and had undergone multiple surgical procedures involving his heart.
His pacemaker last registered cardiac activity on February 18, pinpointing the day of his death.
Dr Jarrell noted that Hackman was “in a very poor state of health” and suggested it was “quite possible that he was not aware that she [his wife] was deceased.”
According to the Office of the Medical Examiner of New Mexico, the bodies of Hackman and Arakawa still remain unclaimed as of Thursday, March 27.
The medical examiner’s office updates its list of unclaimed decedents each Monday, and the couple’s names appeared on the most recent list published on March 24.
TMZ confirmed with officials that their remains are still being held in storage at the facility. However, authorities have indicated that bodies remaining unclaimed for up to a month is not necessarily unusual.
Officials suggested the actor’s family could still be making funeral arrangements.
Chris Ramirez, a spokesperson for the New Mexico medical investigator’s office, told the Daily Mail: “Generally speaking, we always work with the family or funeral home, or whoever is going to do the body transport to release the remains.”
“It would not be a general practice to keep remains for longer than we have to,” he added.
The apparent snub has reignited discussion about Hackman’s complicated relationship with his three children – Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 63, and Leslie, 58 – whom he shared with his first wife, Faye Maltese.
None of Hackman’s children were named in his will, with the entirety of his estimated £80 million fortune reportedly left to Arakawa as his sole beneficiary.
Hackman had previously spoken candidly about his strained relationship with his children.
“You become very selfish as an actor,” he told The New York Times in 1989. “Even though I had a family, I took jobs that would separate us for three or four months at a time.”
In a 2000 interview with The Irish Independent, Hackman acknowledged: “It’s tough being the son or daughter of a celebrity. I couldn’t always be home with them when they were growing up.”
Despite these tensions, reports suggest the family had reconciled in recent years.
Following the news of their deaths, Hackman’s children and granddaughter released a joint statement expressing their grief.
Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa was found ‘mummified’ surrounded by pills according to reports
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“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us, he was always just Dad and Grandpa,” they said. “We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
Leslie later spoke to the Daily Mail, praising Arakawa for caring for her father in his final years.
Legal experts suggest that despite not being named in Hackman’s will, his children could potentially inherit his fortune.
California attorney Tre Lovell told reporters that since Arakawa died before Hackman, “the estate will actually be probated in accordance with intestate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit.”
However, they would need to prove the will is invalid because Arakawa predeceased him.
