Police Admit Crime Scene Mistake in Gene Hackman Death Case
The Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sheriff’s Office recently corrected its earlier report regarding the death of a dog belonging to actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. Initially, it was stated that their German shepherd had died, but it was later revealed that a 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix named Zinna was the one that passed away. Zinna had a close bond with Arakawa and was being cared for after a procedure. Another of their dogs,Bear,survived,along with a second dog named nikita. The Sheriff’s Office acknowledged the error, explaining that deputies are not accustomed to handling dogs. Tragically, Betsy arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, likely contracted from animal droppings, while Hackman passed away from severe heart disease a week later, with his health affected by Alzheimer’s. The couple’s dogs are now being taken care of by a local pet facility as legal matters regarding their estate are being resolved.
The Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sheriff’s Office acknowledged last week it misidentified the dog that died along with actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
A German shepherd was reported to have been discovered dead.
However, “The couple’s German shepherd, named Bear, survived along with a second dog named Nikita, but their kelpie mix, Zinna, died, according to Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility that is involved in the surviving dogs’ care,” according to the Associated Press.
The dog that passed away “was always attached to Betsy at the hip and it was a beautiful relationship,” Padilla said in a statement to the outlet last week.
“Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand.”
USA TODAY learned the dog that perished in the Hackman home was actually Zinna, a 12-year-old reddish Australian Kelpie mixed-breed who had once trained in agility skills to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. https://t.co/hP1gPbeZA5
— Teri (@WomenInTheBurbs) March 5, 2025
Zinna was in a closed crate in the bathroom closet where Arakawa, 65, was found.
The dog recently had a procedure performed, which could be the reason the animal was in the crate, the New York Post reported.
The 12-year-old Zinna had been trained in agility skills with an eye toward competing in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, according to USA Today.
When Padilla arrived on scene to retrieve the dogs on Feb. 26 after Hackman and Arakawa were discovered dead, he found Bear 10 to 12 feet from Arakawa’s body while Nikita was running around the backyard.
Padilla is caring for the dogs as lawyers sort through the couple’s will to see if there were any instructions regarding the animals.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Denise Womack-Avila acknowledged that deputies misidentified which of the three dogs had died.
“Our deputies do not deal with canines on a daily basis,” she explained.
On Friday, the New Mexico Medical Examiner’s Office released its findings regarding the causes of death for Arakawa and Hackman.
New Mexico Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell told reporters that Arakawa died about Feb. 11 from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a flu-like disease that spreads from animals to humans. She likely contracted the infection from mouse droppings.
The 95-year-old Hackman’s cause of death was “severe heart disease,” with Alzheimer’s as a “significant contributory factor.”
New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner, Heather Jarrell, MD gave an update on the results of post-mortem investigations carried out following the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
Dr. Jarrell said that Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from Hantavirus Pulmonary… pic.twitter.com/vPZ0tniMIh
— Denn Dunham (@DennD68) March 7, 2025
Without Arakawa as his caretaker, Hackman lived for about a week. There was no food found in his stomach during the autopsy. He is thought to have died Feb. 18, the last day activity was recorded on his pacemaker.
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