The death of one of Gene Hackman’s dogs remains shrouded in mystery, but a friend has shed light on why two of the dogs managed to survive.
The mystery surrounding the death of one of Gene Hackman’s dogs is ongoing, but a friend of the actor has shared details about why two of the dogs may have survived.
Gene, 95, and his 63-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, along with their 12-year-old dog Zinna, were discovered deceased at their remote residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on February 26. Joey Padilla, the owner of Santa Fe Tails pet care, where Gene and his wife Arakawa frequently boarded their pets, explained that Zinna’s strong bond with Betsy may have played a key role in her death.
Joey described how Zinna, had always been incredibly close to Betsy. “Zinna was always attached to Betsy at the hip, and it was a beautiful relationship,” Joey said to the Associated Press.. He added that Zinna, who had once been a returned shelter dog, had flourished under Betsy’s care, becoming a loyal and devoted companion. Their strong bond may have played a role in Zinna being the only dog of the three to tragically pass away.
The bodies of the Gene and Betsy were found by a neighbourhood caretaker who frantically called the emergency services after spotting the pair not moving through the mansion windows. There were no obvious wounds on either of their bodies, leading to the investigation into their passing. It is believed they had been dead for over a week.
The police force labelled this bizarre as the other two pets were found alive and healthy in the house. Zinna, who was found mummified, was a reddish Australian Kelpie mixed breed, according to USA Today. However, police initially incorrectly named the dead dog as the couple’s German Shepherd called Bear.
Bear is reportedly alive and with the couple’s other surviving dog. It’s not known how the animal was misidentified in the initial police report. Police are said to be looking at three important clues after the mysterious deaths and mummification. A former FBI investigator Bill Daly has revealed the police would be looking at three key things, including the phones, the pills and they will also likely be going through the rubbish to try and work out what happened.
He 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.” He also added one thing that he feels should be looked at closely. “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.
“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 their passing.
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