Those investigating the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife and their beloved dog have revealed a heartbreaking reason why their pet died but their others didn’t.
The Oscar winner’s wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, died on February 11 at their New Mexico home from a flu-like infection caught from rat faeces.
Hackman, 95, died there a week later from heart disease, with his advanced Alzheimer’s ‘a significant factor’. Their bodies were found on February 26.
Their dog Zinna was also dead when the Hackmans’ bodies were discovered.
The 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix was found in the same bathroom as Betsy’s body- just 10 to 15 feet from her owner.
The dog had been locked in a crate after having a medical procedure, and there was no food in its stomach.
Two other dogs who were roaming free at the home survived.
While police are still waiting for the dog’s necropsy results, New Mexico State Public Health Veterinarian Erin Phipps suggested that dehydration and starvation are two likely causes that Zinna died when the other pets survived.
