Heartbreaking fate of Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa's dog revealed by daughter
Proper news from Britain - News from Britain you won’t find anywhere else. Not the tosh the big media force-feed you every day!
Gene Hackman's daughter asked that his dog, Zinna, be cremated and its remains buried with his late wife, Betsy Arakawa.
Footage released on Friday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office shows a phone call between Gene's daughter Elizabeth and a deputy, as per TMZ.
Elizabeth, 62, requested the 12-year-old dog be cremated at the county animal shelter and its ashes buried with Betsy, also asking police to save the dog's collar.
The deputy informed Gene's daughter in the footage that the two remaining dogs were found alive and were being rehomed with family.
The Oscar-winning actor, 95, and Betsy, 65, were found deceased in separate rooms of their home on February 26. Zinna, who had been crated following a veterinarian visit, also died.
Elsewhere in the recording a groundskeeper at Gene and Betsy's New Mexico property became emotional upon learning from deputies that he would not see them again.
Arakawa died around February 11 from hantavirus, a rare virus spread by mice, while Hackman likely died on February 18 from heart disease. He also showed 'evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease.'
Zinna likely died from dehydration and starvation, according to a reported examination done on the deceased canine.
The Associated Press obtained a report from the state Department of Agriculture's veterinary lab which describes partial mummification on the dog and stated that - while there is a chance the severe decomposition could have concealed changes in the organs - there was no evidence an infectious disease, trauma or poisoning led to Zinna's death.
Most of Zinna's stomach was empty aside for small quantities of hair and bile, the report states.
Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza previously said that Arakawa had picked up Zinna in a crate from a Santa Fe veterinarian on February 9, which could explain why the dog was found inside the encasement.
Arakawa is said to have died just two days later.
Zinna, who was once a returned shelter dog, was a loyal companion who was constantly nearby Arakawa, according to Joey Padilla, the owner of Santa Fe Tails, a pet care facility that was caring for the surviving dogs.
The couple's two other dogs, German Shepherd Bear and Akita-shepherd mix Nikita, survived.
Unfortunately, Bear and Nikita have lost each other's companionship as they have been split up following their ordeal.
Padilla told DailyMail.com he was not allowed to share where they ended up, only that they were placed in separate homes.
Padilla later issued a statement noting that the couple's estate lawyer had signed off on the decision.
'We went through stringent efforts to ensure the best homes were found and the dogs have already begun settling into their new lives.
'We are all thankful for the concern and well wishes Bear and Nikita have received during their transition,' he added.
Padilla, 42, had forged a close bond over the years with the legendary actor and his wife, Betsy, who took exceptional care of their three dogs, using his training and daycare services as well as those of an animal chiropractor who'd give them adjustments every few weeks.
'Gene and Betsy had so much love for her dogs,' he told DailyMail.com. 'There was nothing they would not do for those dogs.'
The couple also provided financial support at Santa Fe Tails and invested in The Alley, a bowling center Padilla owns elsewhere in town.
'I wouldn't have what I have without them,' he said.
Aside from Elizabeth, Hackman was also father to son Christopher Allen, 65, and daughter Leslie Anne, 58, from his previous marriage to Faye Maltese.
The two dogs were found by first responders roaming freely on the couple's sprawling Santa Fe estate.
Police, paramedics and the Fire Department rushed to the home on February 26 after a caretaker made the grisly discovery of Arakawa's dead body.
However, they were then unable to immediately locate Hackman and after over 30 minutes they had still not found the Oscar winning actor.
During their search one of the dogs constantly ran up to them barking and running off in different locations.
The first responders thought they wanted to play however this was not the case.
'They realized (the dog) was trying to say, "Hey, come over here! Come over here!".' Chief Brian Moya told USA Today.
Once they followed the dog it led them to Hackman's body in the mudroom which the dog then sat next to.
One of their dogs Nikita was 'skittish because of all the commotion' and refused to leave the sides of both of her owners, the authorities said.
In a full timeline of events, officials said that Arakawa had picked up their dog Zinna from a vet hospital after the dog underwent treatment on February 9.
On February 11, they said she had an email conversation with her massage therapist before later in the afternoon going to a farmers market.
She was caught on CVS surveillance footage shortly after the market, before then going to a local pet food store.
Her car was then seen on surveillance entering the gated community at 5:15pm on February 11.
Officials said that numerous emails went unopened on February 11, and that there was no further communication from her account after that day.
Hackman was discovered lying on the ground of a mud room just off the kitchen with his sunglasses and cane nearby, indicating he may have fallen according to officials.
Hackman shared three children with his first wife Faye Maltese. He and Arakawa, a classical pianist, had been married for the last three decades.
The gruff-but-beloved Hackman was among the finest actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.
He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won for The French Connection in 1972 and Unforgiven two decades later.
Hackman met Arakawa, a classically trained pianist who grew up in Hawaii, when she was working part-time at a California gym in the mid-1980s.
They soon moved in together, and by the end of the decade had decamped to Santa Fe.
A naturally private man, Hackman was labelled a recluse as he remained out of the public eye for years on end following his retirement from the movie industry. He retired from acting in 2004.
