Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead on February 26, and now it’s been revealed his beloved dogs led paramedics to the actor’s body
Gene Hackman’s dogs showed a tragic final act of loyalty to their famous owner after he died.
The Hollywood legend, 95, was found dead at his Santa Fe home in New Mexico on February 26, along with Betsy, 65, and one of their three dogs. Their bodies were discoveredin separate rooms of their property, decomposed and partially mummified.
Gene died of natural causes about a week after Betsy, who died from a rare virus – Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome – caused by exposure to infected rats. Authorities said Hackman died from coronary artery disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease being a contributing factor.
It’s now been revealed the Oscar winner’s dogs helped responders find his body inside the couple’s huge ranch home. They led paramedics to the actor’s body in a heartbreaking final act of loyalty when crew first arrived onto the scene.
Bear, a German Shepherd, and Nikita, an Akita-shepherd mix, kept running up and barking at the crew before running off. At first, it was assumed the dogs wanted to play but they realised the heroic pets were leading them to the mudroom at the far end of the house, where Hackman’s body lay.
Paramedics had found Betsy’s body, but had spent 30 minutes searching the property with no success until the dogs helped them. Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya told USA Today: “They realized (the dog) was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!'”
The two dogs had been roaming around the property. A back door was propped open, allowing the dogs to go in and out.
The surviving dogs are being cared for at a dog boarding facility in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after being rescued from the couple’s home. It’s said they cannot be rehomed until the couple’s wills have been read.
It ha to be determined whether or not any provisions were made for them after Hackman’s and Arakawa’s death. It is yet known whether any of Hackman’s family will adopt the dogs, or if they will find a new home with another family.
The remains of a third dog – Zinna, a 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix – were discovered in a bathroom closet near to Betsy’s body. The other two dogs had previously been described as “healthy”.
Bear, who was also near to Betsy’s body, was easily captured by crew, but Nikita was running around and appeared “skittish because of all the commotion”. Authorities tried various attempts to capture Nikita but eventually had to resort to setting up an overnight door trap for her, as the dog refused to leave her owner’s side.
The bodies of Gene and Betsy were discovered at their $3.3m (£2.61m) home by a maintenance worker who had arrived to do some work on the property. The worker made a panicked call to 911 after spotting the actor and his wife through a window of the property – they were unresponsive and lying on the ground.
In the heartbreaking call, the worker could be heard sobbing and repeating the word “damn” as they told the operator Betsy’s body was “not moving”. He urged the operator to “send someone up here real quick”, after which deputies arrived on the scene.
Betsy was found lying on the bathroom floor of the 2,300 sq ft ranch-style property, which is part of a gated community. Cops said she was “found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet”.
Double Oscar winner Gene, who was near the kitchen, displayed the same signs of decomposition as his wife. The search warrant said: “The male decedent also showed obvious signs of death, similar and consistent with the female decedent”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
