The mystery surrounding the deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, aroused even more interest after authorities confirmed that their dog, Zinna, was also discovered dead. The couple had lived a secluded life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, until their final days when their bodies were found.
Investigators later determined that Hackman died of heart disease complicated by Alzheimer’s, and Arakawa died from a rare and lethal lung disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. While their deaths were ruled as natural, Zinna’s left many perplexed. Officials have now revealed what likely happened to the dog.
Why did Gene Hackman’s dog Zinna die?
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Zinna had recently undergone a medical procedure and was left in a crate upon her owner’s death. The dog was kept closed in for days without food or water, and starvation and dehydration were thought to be the most probable cause of death, according to investigations.
Zinna was the closest to Arakawa and was always going everywhere with her. Arakawa had taken Zinna home from the vet post-surgery the day before she died. With Arakawa and Hackman unable to care for her, Zinna was left alone in her crate with no means of accessing food or water.
How did the other canines survive while Zinna died?
Unlike Zinna, the couple’s other two dogs — a German Shepherd, Bear, and another dog, Nikita — had free reign of the house and property. They shared a dog door through which they could go out, and they were able to scavenge for food and water that kept them alive during the whole period.
The two surviving dogs since then have been taken in by Joey Padilla, owner of Santa Fe Tails, a boarding facility where Hackman and Arakawa routinely boarded the dogs. Padilla stated that he was sad to hear of Zinna’s passing and that the surviving dogs were both doing well and adjusting, and he was waiting to hear what they would like him to do with them next.