The authorities investigating the death of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have corrected an error in the identification of the dog found dead at the couple’s residence. Initially, it was reported that it was one of their dogs, but a pet care specialist clarified that the animal did not belong to them.
According to Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care center, the deceased dog was Zinna, a 12-year-old mixed-breed kelpie. Meanwhile, Hackman and Arakawa’s two dogs, a German Shepherd named Bear and an akita-shepherd named Nikita, survived and are under the care of his establishment.
The dog found dead in Gene Hackman’s house was not his
Padilla provided more details about the couple’s relationship with their dogs in a recent statement: “Zinna was always very attached to Betsy. It was a beautiful relationship. She went from being a dog returned to a shelter to becoming a loyal companion under Betsy’s care.”
Initially, the police report mistakenly described the discovery of a “brown deceased German Shepherd,” which caused confusion about the identity of the animal. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Denise Womack-Avila acknowledged the mistake and explained that “officers do not work with dogs on a daily basis,” which may have influenced the error.
The investigation into the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa continues. The bodies were found on February 26th in their residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico. According to reports, the actor was lying at the entrance of the house, while his wife was found in the bathroom, near an open medicine bottle and pills scattered on the countertop.
The investigation of the Gene Hackman case continues
Sheriff Adan Mendoza indicated that the couple could have died up to two weeks before the discovery. So far, preliminary toxicological tests have ruled out carbon monoxide poisoning, and there have been no signs of forced entry or foul play at the scene.
Hackman’s pacemaker recorded its last activity on February 17, which has helped investigators establish a more precise timeline. Despite the actor’s daughters claiming that their father was in good health, they also admitted to not having had contact with him in the past few months.