Gene Hackman's dog likely died of starvation and dehydration: Reports

USA Today

15-03-2025

Gene Hackman's dog likely died of starvation and dehydration: Reports
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Death timeline of Gene Hackman, wife
Gene Hackman and his wife died a week apart and from entirely different causes. No foul play is suspected in the deaths.
New details were released about the death of one of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa's dogs, whose body was found in their Santa Fe home, along with the deceased couple, in late February.
The dog, Zinfandel (nicknamed Zinna), likely died from dehydration and starvation, according to a necropsy report obtained by the Associated Press and ABC News on Friday. The AP cites the New Mexico Department of Agriculture's Veterinary Diagnostic Services as the source of the report, while ABC News sourced the report from Santa Fe Animal Control.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Department of Agriculture and Santa Fe Animal Control for more information.
The 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix's stomach was mostly empty, with the exception of "small amounts of hair and bile," the news outlets reported. The report also said there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning, per the AP and ABC News.
A date of the dog's death was not reported, but outlets stated the autopsy showed "partial mummification" and "severe decomposition."
Why was the Hackmans' dog in a crate?
On Feb. 26, after maintenance workers spotted Arakawa on her bathroom floor and called 911, sheriff's deputies and paramedics discovered Zinna dead in a crate. The couple's two other dogs, Nikita and Bear, were found roaming the property, and both the front door and a back door were ajar.
Robert Gruda, the owner of Gruda Veterinary Hospital, recently told USA TODAY that the hospital's staff had told Arakawa to confine Zinna to a crate to keep her from running around following a "major surgery" in January. 'She was an excellent dog owner, excellent caretaker to those dogs,' he said. 'She really doted on them.'
Near Zinna, Arakawa's body showed decomposition, and investigators estimated she'd died Feb. 11. The Oscar-winning actor was found in a mudroom with a cane and sunglasses nearby.
According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, Arakawa, 65, died due to Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease that is contracted by contact with mouse droppings. According to the CDC, Hantaviruses "are spread mainly by rodents and are not spread from person-to-person." And Hackman, 95, had heart disease and complications caused by Alzheimer's disease and died from natural causes.
A mask, a cane and a frantic dog: Inside the final hours of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa
Investigators theorized that once Arakawa died, Hackman no longer could care for himself or the dogs. He likely didn't know his wife had died, officials said, citing his Alzheimers disease.
Hackman was believed to have died about a week after his wife, with his pacemaker last showing activity on Feb. 18. Hackman had been in very poor health, according to Dr. Heather Jarrell, New Mexico's chief medical examiner.
Investigators were unclear how Hackman spent his last days. Jarrell said the autopsy showed that Hackman hadn't eaten recently, but that he did not suffer from dehydration.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff