How Gene Hackman’s surviving dogs played an important role in the search for his body

One of Gene Hackman’s two surviving dogs played a pivotal role in the discovery of his body, first responders have revealed.

The Oscar-winning actor, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found dead in their Santa Fe home last month, along with one of their dogs, Zinna. The couple’s two other dogs, Bear and Nikkita, were found alive and running around the property.

Upon entering the home, paramedics and the fire department first discovered Arakawa’s body lying on the bathroom floor, fire chief Brian Moya told USA Today. Zinna was found dead in a crate in a nearby closet, while a back door had been propped open, allowing the other two dogs to roam freely.

For the next 30 minutes, first responders continued their search of the four-bedroom house, looking for other people. But they found nobody, Moya said.

Eventually, however, they realized that one of the dogs, who they assumed was running and barking for play, wanted to show them something.

“They realized (the dog) was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!’” Moya said.

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The dog then led them to a mudroom at the far end of the house, next to the kitchen, where Hackman’s body was found. The actor appeared to have fallen, and his cane and sunglasses were found on the ground nearby.

Moya said that Hackman’s body shows signs of decomposition, including blackened hands.

Arakawa, who died from hantavirus, also “showed obvious signs of death, body decomposition, bloating in her face and mummification in both hands and feet,” according to a search warrant.

She is believed to have died around a week before Hackman, chief medical examiner Heather Jarrell said at a press conference last week.

Jarrell added that it’s possible Hackman was unaware Arakawa had died due to his advanced Alzheimer’s. His cause of death was tied to heart disease, with Alzheimer’s disease contributing.

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The dog who died, Zinna, had undergone “major surgery,” and Arakawa had been instructed by veterinary staff to keep it confined to a crate, the hospital’s owner, Robert Gruda, told USA Today.

“[Arakawa] was an excellent dog owner, excellent caretaker to those dogs. She really doted on them,” Gruda said, explaining that Arakawa was supposed to pick up food and medication for Zinna at the hospital.

“She was consistent, predictable,” he added. “We knew something was wrong when she didn’t pick up the food on time.”

The two surviving dogs have since been taken to a local pet daycare facility.