Death of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa: The cause of death of their dog

More and more details are public on the tragic death of Hollywood icon Gene Hackman (1930-2025) and his wife Betsy Arakawa (1959-2025). With the couple, one of the three dogs, an Australian mix of Kelpie who heard in the name of Zinna, was found dead. , an autopsy of the four -legged friend has now also resulted in the cause of death. “Dehydration and hunger” probably led to the death of Zinna.

The animal was found dead with the couple in his house in New Mexico last month. The officials found the family dog ​​in a box in the discovery of the corpses on February 26, about 10 to 15 meters from Arakawa’s body.

Zinna’s stomach was “largely empty”, “apart from very small amounts of hair and bile”, the report continues. In addition, “a strong postmortal decay with partial mummification” had existed.

“If the dog was in a confined space without access to food or water, it has most likely died of dehydration/starvation,” says the autopsy report.

Hackman and his wife’s probable causes of death had already become known before. Arakawa died of an infection with the Hantavirus, a disease transmitted by rodents. The Oscar winner died about a week later from a combination of severe heart disease, high blood pressure and advanced Alzheimer’s.

However, two other dogs from the couple, the German shepherds Bear and Nikita, are well. They were able to use a dog flap on their own and were found alive on the property. They are currently in Santa Fe in the care of an zookeeper.

Gene Hackman was one of the greatest actors in Hollywood. He won Oscars for his roles in “French Connection” and “Merciless” and was seen in numerous film classics such as “Superman”, “Mississippi Burning” and “The Royal Tenenbaums”. After the film “Welcome to Mooseport” (2004), the actor had withdrawn from the public.