For something the saying goes that ‘a dog is man’s best friend.’ And a recent revelation by authorities in the case of the death of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa proved it, as the two surviving dogs of the couple tried to help in the police investigation.
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At the end of last month, the world was shocked by the news that Hackman and Arakawa had been found dead inside their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They were 95 and 65 years old, respectively, and after much speculation, it was revealed that both had died of natural causes, several days apart.
PUBLICIDAD
How did Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s dogs help in the investigation of his death?
According to what the authorities reported, while the local members of the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department were searching the couple’s house during a review of its occupants, they noticed a dog running towards them. According to Chief Brian Moya, the canine kept barking and ran in a different direction.
“They realized that the dog was trying to say, ‘Hey, come here! Come here!’” Moya recalled to USA Today in an interview published this past Tuesday, March 11th.
The dog (Hackman and Arakawa had three, one of which died alongside the couple) led rescuers to the corner of a storage unit where Hackman’s body was found unconscious on the ground. According to Moya, the Oscar-winning actor had blackened hands and showed other signs of decomposition. A partially open door was nearby, apparently allowing the dogs access between the house and the backyard.
After the bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were discovered, the surviving dogs Bear and Nikita were taken to a local pet shelter. Their third dog, Zinna, also died last month while locked in a cage inside the couple’s house.
Arakawa had taken Zinna, Bear, and Nikita to the Gruda Veterinary Hospital for years. “She was dedicated to those dogs,” Gruda Veterinary Hospital owner Robert Gruda recalled to USA Today. “She was consistent, predictable. We knew something was wrong when she didn’t pick up the food on time. She was an excellent dog owner, an excellent caregiver for those dogs,” Gruda remembered. “She really spoiled them.”