New Mexico
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s bodies still unclaimed more than a month after their deaths
The bodies of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa remain unclaimed at a New Mexico medical examiner’s office more than a month after their deaths, according to reports.
Hackman and Arakawa – whose bodies were found in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26 – were still on the New Mexico Medical Examiner’s unclaimed decedents list as of Monday, TMZ reported.
That list is updated each week, indicating that as of days ago they were still lying in the local morgue.
But bodies lying unclaimed for up to a month is not necessarily unusual, officials told TMZ, indicating that the 95-year-old actor’s family could still be making funeral arrangements.
Hackman had long been open about his rocky relationship with his three kids, Chritopher, 65, Elizabeth, 63, and 58-year-old Leslie, commenting later in life how his career often kept him from home and distanced him from raising his family.
The father and his kids eventually reconciled, however.
After his death, the kids released a statement mourning their loss.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” they said.
“He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”
But none of them were named in their father’s will – with the entirety of his $80 million fortune reportedly going to Betsy, 65, who was his second wife and not the mother of his kids.
It remains unclear what will become of the cash.
The husband and wife were found dead in their home about two weeks after they’re believed to have died inside.
Arakawa is believed to have died about a week before Hackman after contracting a rare flu-like disease – hantavirus — carried by rodents, according to New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell.
Hackman is believed to have died days later from heart complications. He was also suffering from Alzheimer’s.
“He was in a very poor state of health,” Jarrell said at a press conference earlier in March. “He was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s disease and it was quite possible he did not know that she was deceased.”
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An ‘imposter nurse’ in Las Cruces is facing 34 charges after nearly causing the death of a patient and illegally giving medications to patients under 18 years old.
A Doña Ana County grand jury indicted Margarita Gonzalez. She is accused of assuming the identities of nurses in Texas to get hired at four nursing facilities in Las Cruces:
- Village at Northrise
- Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation
- Peak Behavioral Health
- Matrix Home Care
The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau investigated and discovered instances where Gonzalez illegally gave injections and dispensed prescriptions, including narcotics to eight inpatient residents under 18 years old.
An investigation also found Gonzalez was also about to allegedly give “an incorrect insulin dose” to a patient that they claim could’ve killed the patient if another nurse hadn’t caught the error.
Several facilities fired Gonzalez over patient safety concerns and an observed lack of knowledge.
“Impersonating a healthcare provider is a reckless and selfish crime that subjects those most vulnerable to risk of serious injury or death,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “I will not tolerate those who risk the safety of patients or cause danger and unnecessary confusion within the healthcare system. These charges should keep anyone attempting to pose as a healthcare provider on notice: we will find you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law to protect New Mexicans.”
Gonzalez’s charges include identity theft, nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, distribution of controlled substances to a minor and fraud totaling over $25,000.
If convicted on all counts, Gonzalez could face up to 100 years in prison.
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