Mystery still shrouds the tragic passing of Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa, as their German Shepherd and Labrador were found alive but the Australian Kelpie was not
The enigma surrounding the death of one of Gene Hackman’s dogs continues, with a friend of the actor shedding light on why two of the dogs might have survived.
The 95 year old actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, and their 12 year old dog Zinna were found dead at their secluded Santa Fe, New Mexico home on February 26.
Joey Padilla, who runs Santa Fe Tails pet care where Gene and Betsy often boarded their pets, suggested that Zinna’s close relationship with Betsy could have contributed to the pup’s demise. Joey told the Associated Press that Zinna had always been incredibly attached to Betsy.
Padilla said: “Zinna was always attached to Betsy at the hip, and it was a beautiful relationship.” He added that Zinna, once a returned shelter dog, thrived under Betsy’s care, becoming a loyal and devoted companion.
This strong bond may have played a part in Zinna, an Aussie Kelpie mix, being the only one of the three dogs to tragically die.
Police were left puzzled after finding two of the dogs still alive in a home. They initially identified the dogs wrong, mistakenly ID’ing the deceased dog as Bear, the couple’s German Shepherd who was still alive.
Ex-FBI investigator Bill Daly revealed the police will be looking at phones, mystery pills, and will be rummaging through the bins to piece together what happened in that Santa Fe house.
Daly said: “They can do geolocating around the property to see what was pinging around that time, though they won’t be able to tell who without a warrant, but can tell what activity there was before and afterward, even if they’re not suspecting foul play.”
There were no visible injuries on either of their bodies, prompting an investigation into their deaths. It is thought they had been dead for over a week.
Daly added: “There was something about the way that his wife was described in the bathroom that I think is worth looking into a bit more. And she was in the bathroom.”
It’s believed a space heater and scattered pills were found at the scene, with one expert speculating: “I guess there was a space heater, and there were some pills that seemed to be strewn, and I don’t know where, if that space heater was turned on. That might change the way her decomposition looks. Having a heat source close to the remains really does change decomposition rate.”
The investigation into their deaths is ongoing, with authorities working to determine the exact sequence of events leading up to this tragic discovery.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
