Gene Hackman’s Daughter Requests To Cremate Family Dog And Bury It With Late Mother

March 23, 2025: Almost a month after the tragic deaths of legendary actor Gene Hackman, his wife Betsy Hackman, and their beloved pet dog, Zinna, new bodycam footage has revealed a heartbreaking request from their daughter, Elizabeth Hackman.

Elizabeth, 62, was seen in the footage asking for the couple’s cherished kelpie mix, Zinna, to be cremated and buried alongside her mother, Betsy. Zinna was found dead in the home alongside the late couple. In a call captured on bodycam footage from February 27, a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s officer reached out to Elizabeth to ask what should be done with the dog’s body. Elizabeth, in a deeply emotional moment, replied, “I’m thinking cremate the dog and bury it with Betsy.”

She further added a poignant request: “If the dog is wearing a collar, could you save that for me?”

In another piece of footage from February 26, a local dog trainer who had worked with the Hackman couple’s pets, Joey Padilla, described their deep love for their dogs. “They loved their dogs. You can see toys everywhere around their property,” Padilla shared. Besides Zinna, the couple had two other dogs, Bear and Nikita, who were also close to their hearts.

Gene Hackman and Betsy Hackman’s causes of death were revealed in March. Betsy passed away due to hantavirus, a virus transmitted through rodent droppings, while Gene Hackman, who had been battling severe heart disease, high blood pressure, and advanced Alzheimer’s disease, died just a week later.

The emotional footage has shed light on the family’s bond with their pets and their desire to keep their beloved animals close even in death.