How Gene Hackman’s Dog Died Revealed by Investigators

Details surrounding the death of one of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s dogs have been released.

After the two-time Oscar winner was found dead at their Santa Fe home with his wife and one of their three dogs on Feb. 26, a necropsy obtained by the Associated Press on Friday, March 14 determined that Zinfandel (nicknamed Zinna) most likely died due to dehydration and starvation.

The report from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Diagnostic Services indicated that the 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix’s stomach was mostly empty, except for small amounts of hair and bile. The necropsy also determined there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning.

First responders located Hackman, 95, dead in the mudroom of his home and Arakawa, 65, dead on the bathroom floor on Feb. 26, with Zinna dead in her crate nearby. The couple’s other dogs, Nikita and Bear, were found roaming the property.

When it comes to Zinna’s enclosure, Robert Gruda, the owner of Gruda Veterinary Hospital, told USA TODAY that after the dog underwent “major surgery” in January, Arakawa was instructed to crate her while she recovered. “She was an excellent dog owner, excellent caretaker to those dogs,” he told the outlet. “She really doted on them.”

After an investigation into Arakawa and Hackman’s deaths, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office estimated that the classical pianist died on Feb. 11 due to Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare disease spread by mainly by rodents. Hackman was determined to have died around a week later based on the actor’s pacemaker activity, with his cause of death being listed as heart disease and complications caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

Investigators have theorized that once Arakawa died, Hackman no longer could care for himself or the dogs, and likely didn’t know that his wife had died. Hackman’s autopsy showed that the star hadn’t eaten recently before his death but did not suffer from dehydration.