THE MYSTERY surrounding Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa's deaths has deepened as his family has made an unusual move.
Hackman's family – who are seeking to block photos and video of the couple's bodies, their dog's remains and the general scene inside the Santa Fe home – are also requesting to block the release of the autopsy and death investigation reports.
An insider close to the death investigation exclusively told The U.S. Sun that they have never in their career heard of a family trying to block autopsy results in New Mexico.
"Trying to block the autopsy report is very atypical, that is not something I have ever seen before," the insider claimed.
"New Mexico doesn't have an exemption for autopsy photos, and normally it's not a concern, but when it comes to celebrity deaths, 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.
"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."
RESTRAINING ORDER
In a temporary restraining order obtained by Hackman's estate, the Santa Fe court barred the Sheriff's office and the Office of the Medical Investigator from releasing any photos and images of the bodies of Hackman and Arakawa, the interior of their residence, footage of their bodies and of the deceased animals on the property, pending a hearing later this month.
The unusual move to block the autopsy report in the restraining order, however, comes right after the blocking of the photos.
"The Office of the Medical Investigator is temporarily restrained from disclosing through IPRA [Inspection of Public Records Act] or other means, means the Autopsy Reports and/or Death Investigation Reports for Mr. and Mrs. Hackman," the temporary restraining order read.
As The U.S. Sun had previously reported, the Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico confirmed during a news conference earlier this month that Gene's wife was posthumously diagnosed with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare and potentially deadly disease transmitted through rodent exposure.
Hantavirus has in the past been a public health crisis, so it's also unusual that there would be interest in blocking information to the public about a reported case.
MORE MYSTERY
Adding to the complexity of issues surrounding the Hackmans' deaths was a revelation earlier this week that preliminary cell phone records show Arakawa made multiple calls to a Santa Fe medical center on February 12, 24 hours after she was initially believed to have died.
"We can now confirm that Mrs. Hackman's phone was utilized on the morning of February 12 to call a medical center in Santa Fe," authorities told Fox News.
"A total of three calls were made that morning, all to the medical center.
"One incoming call was made to Mrs. Hackman from the same medical center that afternoon.
"It is surprising that Mrs. Hackman spoke to my office on the phone on February 10 and again on February 12 and didn't appear in respiratory distress," he said.
"Most patients who have hantavirus die in the hospital."
Complicating matters further, Hackman, who was battling advanced Alzheimer's, was reportedly left alone in the couple's home for several days following his wife's death.
It's possible he was unaware of his wife's passing, with officials later confirming that he died on February 18, one week after his wife.
Hackman's cause of death was determined to be hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease listed as a contributing factor.
The bodies of both Hackman and Arakawa were not discovered until February 26, when a neighbor's caretaker called 911 after finding them unresponsive.
Hackman's $62 million fortune may now go to his three children, despite their exclusion from his will.
The iconic French Connection actor had named his wife as the sole beneficiary of his estate.
Legal experts suggest that this timeline could result in Hackman's estate transferring to his three children—Christopher, 65, Elizabeth, 62, and Leslie, 58—under interstate succession laws.
Gene Hackman's family's full statement
Gene Hackman's family has spoken out on the actor's death after he was found dead with his wife, Betsy Arakawa, in their Santa Fe home.
Hackman's daughters, Elizabeth and Leslie, and his granddaughter, Annie, released the statement.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy," Elizabeth, Leslie, and Annie Hackman said.
"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.
"We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss."
According to California attorney Tre Lovell, Hackman's will, last updated in 2005, listed only Arakawa as the beneficiary.
With her death preceding Hackman's, the estate may now bypass the will entirely.
Lovell told the BBC: "The estate will actually be probated in accordance with interstate succession laws and the children would be lawfully next in line to inherit."
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