A judge on Monday blocked the release of police images of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, who were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, N.M.
The temporary restraining order also prevents the release of the autopsy reports. The family’s estate representative sought the order on Friday, saying that Hackman and Arakawa had sought to preserve their privacy during their lifetimes, and that images of their dead bodies should not be exploited for entertainment value.
The medical examiner determined that Arakawa died of a hantavirus infection sometime around Feb. 11. The potentially fatal disease is transmitted through rodent feces. Hackman, who was 95 years old and had severe Alzheimer’s disease, died about a week later of heart disease.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office was called to their home on Feb. 26, after a maintenance worker found a door left ajar. The deputies found Arakawa’s body on the bathroom floor, and Hackman’s in a mud room.
The estate asked the judge to block the release of the deputies’ lapel videos, as well as any other photos or videos that would show the bodies or the interior of their home.
“Because of the (decedents’) prominence and their great desire for privacy while living, the Personal Representative seeks to protect the Hackmans’ privacy after death, just as the Hackmans did during their life,” the estate representative said in a motion on Friday. “The family should have a right to grieve in peace and the court should ensure that right remains.”
The estate noted that an appellate court in Washington had blocked the release of images from the Kurt Cobain suicide investigation.
While granting the temporary restraining order, Judge Matthew J. Wilson set a hearing on March 31 to determine whether an injunction should be issued, further preventing disclosure.
Hantavirus infection is exceedingly rare, but also deadly. The disease was first identified in North America after an outbreak in the Four Corners region of the Southwest in 1993, which killed 13 of 17 patients. There is still no specific treatment, and the case fatality rate is 36%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The infection is believed to occur by inhalation of aerosolized rodent feces or urine. There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission. The CDC advises reducing the risk by sealing holes and gaps in the home and placing rat traps, thus minimizing exposure to rodents.
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