The unfortunate demise of renowned actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, has been further marred by the discovery of their deceased pet dog, Zinna. The dog, a kelpie mix, was found in a partially mummified state in a crate near Arakawa’s body in their Santa Fe home. A necropsy report from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture revealed that Zinna succumbed to dehydration and starvation.
Zinna was one of three dogs owned by the couple. The necropsy report detailed the severe decomposition and partial mummification of the dog. Despite the advanced state of decay, the report found no signs of infectious disease, trauma, or poisoning that could have caused the dog’s death. The contents of the dog’s stomach, which consisted of small amounts of hair and bile, further corroborated the conclusion of death by starvation.
Zinna had a touching history, having been adopted from a shelter to become a cherished companion, especially to Arakawa. Joey Padilla, the owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility, which is currently caring for the couple’s two surviving dogs, described Zinna as a constant companion to Arakawa.
The circumstances surrounding the couple’s deaths are equally heartbreaking. Arakawa, aged 65, died approximately a week before Hackman, who was 95. The cause of her death was a rare rodent-borne disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hackman, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, succumbed to heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s. It is reported that Hackman was unaware of his wife’s passing.
The couple was discovered deceased in their Santa Fe home on February 26. While both deaths have been ruled as natural causes, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is still finalizing the investigation. The sequence of events is being pieced together through information obtained from cellphones found at the scene.