Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s bodies still haven’t been claimed a month after the couple were found dead, fueling rumors of a rift with the late star’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.
Arakawa died of a rodent-borne illness called hantavirus around February 11, authorities said. Hackman, who had severe Alzheimer’s disease, died a week later.
Their beloved dog, a 12-year-old n Kelpie mix named Zinna, was found dead inside a kennel that was in a closet. A necropsy report revealed Zinna likely died from dehydration and starvation, according to documents obtained by DailyMail.com.
Elizabeth Hackman told a Sheriff’s deputy how the dog’s remains should be handled.
‘I’m thinking cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy,’ Elizabeth was heard saying in a video 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.
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.
Deputies, paramedics and Fire Department officials rushed to the home on February 26 after a caretaker made the grisly discovery of Arakawa’s partially mummified dead body on the bathroom floor.
Hackman’s body was found in the home’s mudroom, according to a report.
Medical Examiner officials believe the late actor died around February 18 from severe heart disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease as a ‘significant’ contributing factor.
Investigators believe Hackman likely didn’t know his wife had died and could not take care of the dogs.