Julia Peters, a representative of the estate, requests that a court in Santa Fe protect the family's privacy and not disseminate any images from the autopsy.
Sensitive photographs of the deceased are not typically made public in the state of New Mexico. However, death investigations by law enforcement agencies and autopsy reports are considered public documents.
According to Amanda Lavin, legal director at the non-profit organization New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, some transparency is necessary for accountability.
I believe it would undermine transparency if the court were to ban the release of all investigation documents, including autopsies, says Lavin to ABC News.
She also sees that there is a public interest, since Hackman's 63-year-old wife, the classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, likely died due to lung syndrome caused by hantavirus – which is spread by small rodents.
Gene Hackman, 95 years old, and Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home in Santa Fe in the state of New Mexico on February 27. Hackman likely died of heart failure about a week after his wife, according to local police and forensic pathologists.
