ALBUQUERQE, N.M. (AP) 鈥 Authorities have released body camera footage from outside the home of Gene Hackman, where the actor and wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in late February.
The redacted footage shows deputies talking with the two workers who called authorities to report seeing someone lying on the floor inside the home. With no signs of forced entry or other evidence of suspicious circumstances, the deputies asked about the possibility of a gas leak or carbon monoxide poisoning, and the workers said they didn鈥檛 see how that could have been the case.
鈥淪omethingsa国际传媒 not right,鈥 one of the workers said.
Authorities soon determined there were no leaks that could have been fatal, further fueling a mystery that captured the publicsa国际传媒 attention.
It was solved about a week later when medical investigators confirmed that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimersa国际传媒 about a week after 鈥 a rare, rodent-borne disease 鈥 took the life of his wife.
The Santa Fe County Sheriffsa国际传媒 Office released only some of the footage from the investigation.
A New Mexico court last week against the release of any photographs and video showing Hackman and his wife the inside of their home. Hackmansa国际传媒 estate had filed the petition to withhold images, citing the need to protect the familysa国际传媒 constitutional right to privacy in grief under the 14th Amendment.
Workers who had maintained the property talked to investigators about respecting Hackman and Arawakasa国际传媒 privacy. One worker described Arawaka as a private person.
The body camera footage also shows brief sightings of one of the couplesa国际传媒 dogs running in the wooded hills on their property on the edge of Santa Fe. A man who identified himself to officers as a dog trainer who cared for the couplesa国际传媒 pet dogs said the couple were 鈥渘uts鈥 about their dogs.
鈥淭heresa国际传媒 toys everywhere around the property,鈥 he said.
In a separate video, Arakawasa国际传媒 hairdresser told investigators that his client took the dogs with her everywhere and that the smallest one would often hang out inside the salon with them during her visits.
That dog was found inside a crate, not far from Arakawasa国际传媒 body. A report obtained by The Associated Press from the state Department of Agriculturesa国际传媒 veterinary lab states the dog likely died from .
The actorsa国际传媒 daughter, Elizabeth Hackman, told authorities she wanted the dog that died to be cremated. Authorities put her in touch with the local animal shelter to talk about the options.
___
Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix and Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
