Authorities confirm Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's dog 'likely died' of dehydration and starvation
Topics: US News, Celebrity, Gene Hackman, Animals, Dogs
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Facebook / Animal Rescue, Inc.
Topics: US News, Celebrity, Gene Hackman, Animals, Dogs
Authorities have confirmed the cause of death of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s dog.
Earlier this month, police confirmed that actor Hackman and his wife Arakawa had died after both bodies were found at their Santa Fe home.
While it has been considered without foul play, questions arose regarding how the pair died and why they were not found for some time.
It was later found that 95-year-old Hackman and 65-year-old classical pianist Arakawa passed away from natural causes, but the investigation is still ongoing, as authorities found one of the couple’s three dogs deceased at the home.
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A kelpie mix named Zinna was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa’s body. An examination of Zinna shows that dehydration and starvation were likely what led to the animal’s death.
The Associated Press obtained a report by the state Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab which detailed that the dog was partially mummified and that although the severe decomposition could have masked the results, there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning in the dog.
The report said Zinna's stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile.
Santa Fe Fire Department Chief Brian Moya spoke about how the two surviving dogs behaved when authorities arrived.
The canines met with authorities inside of the property and led them to the mudroom where Hackman’s body was found.
According to USA Today, Moya said: “They realized (the dog) was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!'”
Chief medical examiner Dr Heather Jarrell confirmed the couple's cause of deaths this month, stating: "The cause of death for Mr. Gene Hackman, aged 95 years, is hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer's disease as a significant contributory factor."
Arakawa's death was different, as Dr Jarrell noted: "Autopsy examination and full body post mortem CT demonstrated no findings of trauma internally or externally with microscopic findings consistent with Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome."
As for why the Zinna was in a crate, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said: "On February 9, 2025 she picked up Zinna from Gruda Veterinary Hospital. There was a procedure that was done with the dog, which may explain why the dog was in a crate at the residence."
Zinna was a dog which had been returned to the shelter before Arakawa took the pup home.
Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility, helped to care for the two surviving dogs and stated that Zinna became the deceased celebrity’s companion.
He told Fox News: "These dogs were attached to Betsy. Anytime Betsy had an errand to do, they went with her.
"These dogs loved going on a ride in the car with Betsy, and it didn’t matter if it was going to the store, even when we would go to dinner. We’d go to dinner and the dogs would be in the car. They were very much attached to Betsy."