“Bury it with Betsy” - Gene Hackman's daughter reportedly suggested burying dog with actor’s beloved wife in Bodycam video

Newly released body cam footage of investigators from the tragic passing away of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa has revealed the details of how the couple’s dog will be laid to rest.

One of the couple’s three dogs’ body was discovered along with the Hackman and Arakawa’s remains when authorities searched their Santa Fe, New Mexico residence on February 26.

In the body cam video acquired by TMZ from the Santa Fe Country Sheriff’s office, Gene Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth can be heard on a call with the authorities as they decide on how the deceased dog is to be laid to rest. The footage was shared by TMZ on March 21.

During the call, one of the officials informs Elizabeth that they’ll be taking custody of the pet before informing her that the animal shelter offers pet “crematory services.”

After attempting to determine the age of the dog, Elizabeth can be heard telling the authorities how she wants her late father’s pet to be laid to rest. In the YouTube video attached below, at 8 minutes 35 seconds into the discussion, she says,

“Cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy”

During the call which is heard on the body cam footage published by TMZ, authorities inform Elizabeth that the dog can be cremated and they’ll get in touch with her after collecting its ashes. Elizabeth goes on to tell the officers to save a memorabilia for her. She says,

“And if the dog was wearing a collar, could you save that for me?”

The dog, named Zinna, will be laid to rest alongside Betsy Arakawa and it makes perfect sense. As per Associated Press, a pet care facility owner, Joey Padilla who was familiar with the couple, gave a statement attesting to Arakawa’s close relationship with the late dog. Padilla said that Zinna, who was a kelpie mix:

“was always attached to Betsy at the hip and it was a beautiful relationship…Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand.”

A report by People Magazine also states that Padilla spoke about both, Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s love for their pets in a separate body cam footage, which is unavailable at the moment due to a temporary block on the release of body cam footage. People Magazine notes that Padilla said,

“They were dog nuts…You can see, there’s toys everywhere around their property. They loved their dogs”

The circumstances of the death of Zinna, one of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s dogs

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa had a total of three dogs, named Bear, Nikita, and Zinna, who passed away, as reported by Associated Press.

Zinna was found by the authorities in a crate in a bathroom closet near the body of Arakawa. Zinna was confined to a crate because of a recent surgery in January, according to USA Today. The same report mentioned that Zinna was 12-years-old.

An Associated Press report revealed that the state Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab ascertained that the dog had no sign of trauma, disease or poisoning. The report also disclosed that the contents of the dog’s stomach were composed of hair bile, and the dog most likely passed away due to starvation and dehydration.

The Santa Fe authorities determined the cause of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s death after an investigation. As reported by People Magazine on the same, it was discovered that Arakawa passed away due to hantavirus, a disease linked to rodent droppings, and Hackman, who was suffering from heart disease as well as severe Alzheimer’s, likely passed due to a combination of his illnesses.

As per the same report, authorities also determined that Hackman likely died a week after his wife’s death.