Gene Hackman’s tragic death has been shrouded in mystery since police found his body alongside his wife Betsy Arakawa on February 26 inside their Santa Fe home.
Betsy was discovered in the bathroom surrounded by scattered medication, while Gene appeared to have fallen, with his glasses and cane beside him.
Another tragic loss was that of their 12-year-old Australian Kelpie, Zinna, who was found dead inside its kennel in the bathroom.
The couple were avid dog lovers and also shared a German shepherd, Bear and a third pooch, Nikita, who both survived.
Previously, the police misidentified Bear as the deceased dog in an affidavit for a search warrant as per USA Today.
The document read that police “continued to search the residence where they then observed/found a deceased brown in color German Shepard [sic] canine.”
Gene and Betsy’s friend Joey Padilla, who owns Santa Fe Tails pet care where the couple boarded their dogs, revealed to the Associated Press that Bear was alive and well despite what the media had reported.
“I will be holding on to them until I get word on what Betsy’s wishes for these dogs are,” he told the outlet. Joey added that the dogs were “Betsy’s babies,” and that she was devoted to their care and training.
As for Zinna, Gene and Betsy’s deceased dog, Joey shared that the pooch “was always attached to Betsy at the hip and it was a beautiful relationship.”
© Getty Images“Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand,” he said.
The 65-year-old had been to the kennel just a month before her death, and Joey shared that the former classical pianist acted perfectly normal at the time.
Gene and Betsy were likely dead for over a week before their bodies were discovered by a maintenance worker, as the Superman star’s pacemaker stopped recording his heartbeat on February 17.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettyBear and Nikita likely survived by escaping through a dog door in the house and finding their own food and water until police arrived.
Joey shared how loved their three dogs were, adding that a “tragic accident” must have occurred to cause the death of their pup. “If only people knew how meticulous and amazing [they] were with the dogs,” he said. “It breaks my heart.”
“I think this is a tragic accident,” he added. “There’s no way that Betsy would have left that dog in a crate for any other reason.”
© WireImageCarbon monoxide poisoning has been ruled out as a cause of death in the investigation, although police are awaiting toxicology reports.
“I think I’m pretty confident that there is no foul play just based on the lack of evidence,” Sheriff Adan Mendoza told Today. “But, of course, we’re not ruling that out.”
Gene was survived by his three children: Christopher, Leslie and Elizabeth. He is best known for his roles in The French Connection, Superman and Bonnie and Clyde.
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