Haunting new photos reveal squalor inside Gene Hackman’s palatial $4m home where legendary actor and his wife Betsy were found ‘mummified’

Haunting new photos have laid bare the squalid conditions inside the home where Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy lived and died.

The 95-year-old actor and his 65-year-old wife were found dead on February 26 at their New Mexico mansion after a contractor and security guard found their mummified bodies and alerted the authorities.

It was later determined that Betsy died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome around February 12, a rare condition brought about by a virus that is spread via rodent droppings and urine.

Hackman died a few days later on February 18 from severe heart disease, which was exacerbated by Alzheimer’s disease and kidney disease. 

The US Marine veteran and two-time Oscar winner may have been unaware that his beloved wife was dead due to his health condition, investigators suggested.

Cops who combed their home following the gruesome discovery shared bodycam footage which captured how the couple’s heartbroken dog watched over Betsy’s lifeless body as it lay surrounded by clutter.

Piles of clothes, documents, pictures and other personal items are seen littered throughout various rooms inside the $4 million mansion as deputies walked to the other side of the home, where Hackman’s body was found. 

Now new pictures showing every inch of the property have revealed the extent of the legendary actor and his wife’s hoard of belongings, accumulated over their 34-year marriage. 

Clothes which mounted up over decades fill some of the rooms of the sprawling Santa Fe home, while other items including dog beds, pill packets and bedding are seen strewn across the floor.

A dressing room is filled with piles of shirts, jeans, dresses and boxes of shoes, while other treasured items are stacked high, close to toppling over.

A series of heartbreaking notes were also found dotted around the house, each exchanged between Betsy and Gene and showing the couple’s affection for one another until the end.

Photos of their adored German Shepherds also adorn tables and sideboards, with smiling pictures of the couple with their old pets dating back years.

The pair had three dogs at the time of their deaths, with 12-year-old Zinna found dead in a crate at the same time as her owners were discovered. 

The pet likely died from starvation and dehydration, police said. The two surviving dogs, Bear, a German shepherd, and Nikita, an Akita-shepherd mix, have since been rehomed.

A wall of rosettes from dog behaviour and agility competitions is seen in the snaps, demonstrating the passion the Hackmans had for their animals.

Two calendars decorated with pictures of German Shepherds are also pictured, with appointments and reminders written in for the month of February before the couple’s death.

A Santa Fe New Mexican local newspaper dated February 11 was also pictured among the items police found, suggesting that Betsy may have collected it from outside the home or had it delivered shortly before her death.

An unfinished puzzle is seen alongside piles of colouring and dot-to-dot books, shedding light on how the reclusive couple passed the time. 

A gym filled with exercise equipment including a boxing bag and bench press is also pictured. 

An adjoining games room is complete with a darts board and arcade machines, while a large snooker table also appears in the shots.

Retired Hollywood actor Hackman spent much of his later life painting after moving to Santa Fe, and piles of canvasses and and art materials are also seen covering tables and piled against a wall.

Framed artworks of their dogs sit on the kitchen sideboard, alongside pot plants, mugs and plates. 

The fridge is stocked with bottles of beer and wine, and the kitchen appears pristine and ready for use.

But other parts of the house appear less than clean, with pictures showing filthy surfaces, an uncleaned bathroom and messy living quarters and bedrooms.

Plates and food is seen left out on various surfaces, including two packets of bagels on top of a row of books and rotting fruit and vegetables on the countertop. 

Several disturbing images show what appear to be blood stains on a pillow, with a discarded plaster also seen in the bedding.

In another set of pictures, a basin and vanity area in one washroom is seen covered with pill bottles, flasks, hairbrushes and jewellery.

A dog cage and bed is seen in one corner of the room, with drawers are left open and clothes scattered around nearby.

Betsy, a pianist originally from Hawaii, was found on the floor of a bathroom in the couple’s home with a portable heater nearby and pills scattered on a countertop, according to police.

Her husband’s remains were found on the opposite side of the house in the mudroom.

‘He showed signs of active decay, including blackened hands with tissue breakdown,’ detective Joel Cano wrote in a report released on Tuesday.

Police released the body camera video and other public records related to the investigation into the reclusive couple’s deaths on Tuesday.

The documents, which initially had been sealed by a temporary court order to protect the Hackman family’s privacy, were released after a court ruled that most of them are public record. 

The court cleared the way for the release of investigative records as long as there were no videos or photos of the couple’s bodies. 

The records detail some of Betsy’s last emails, phone calls and internet searches that appear to show she was looking for information on flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.

Betsy’s computer showed that between February 8 and the morning of February 12, she was researching medical conditions related to COVID-19 and flu-like symptoms, according to the records.

One of the pictures shows a rapid COVID-19 test, highlighting her concern that they may have contracted the virus.

In an email to her masseuse, she said Hackman woke up February 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms and she’d have to reschedule her appointment for the next day.

Her search history on the morning of February 12 showed she was looking into a medical concierge service in Santa Fe.

A call with the service lasted less than two minutes, and she missed a return call later that afternoon, according to investigators.

A week after the bodies were discovered, the New Mexico Department of Public Health conducted a health assessment on the property.

The department concluded that dead rodents and their nests were found in ‘eight detached outbuildings’ on the Hackman property making it a ‘breeding ground’ for the hantavirus, TMZ reported.

The deadly hantavirus typically spreads through rodent urine and droppings that one may come into contact with when cleaning a basement or an attic.

There were droppings found in three garages, two casitas, and three sheds on the property.

Additionally, there was a live rodent, dead rodent and a rodent nest found in three more garages on the property, according to the inspectors.

There were also two vehicles seen on the estate that had evidence of rodents, and they even found traps in the buildings as well, suggesting this had been an ongoing issue for the Hackmans.

The health assessment was conducted to assess whether first responders or others who were on the property were safe from the virus.

The results revealed that the primary residence was deemed ‘low-risk’ with no signs of a rodent infestation inside.