Key Points
Gene and Betsy Hackman found dead in New Mexico
Daughter Elizabeth requests family dog Zinna be buried with Betsy
New bodycam footage reveals emotional family decisions
Elizabeth, 62, has asked for the couple's beloved kelpie mix, Zinna, to be cremated and buried alongside her mother, Betsy.
Zinna was found dead inside the home with the late couple, and Elizabeth wanted the dog to rest with Betsy. In footage obtained by People from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, an officer is seen calling Elizabeth from a police vehicle on February 27 to ask what should be done with Zinna's body, to which she responds, "I'm thinking cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy."
She can also be seen making another emotional request as she says, "If the dog is wearing a collar, could you save that for me?"
In another bodycam video recorded on February 26, obtained by the publication, a local dog trainer, Joey Padilla, who had worked with their pets, described them as "dog nuts."
"They loved their dogs. You can see toys everywhere around their property," Padilla said, adding that the couple had two other dogs, Bear and Nikita, in addition to Zinna.
The causes of their deaths were revealed in March. Betsy Hackman passed away due to hantavirus, a virus linked to rodent droppings. Gene Hackman died a week later from severe heart disease, high blood pressure, and advanced Alzheimer's disease.
