Tragic End: Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's Dogs Find New Homes After Couple's Death

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa‘s surviving dogs are being cared for in the wake of the couple’s tragic deaths.

Roughly three weeks after the Oscar-winning couple were found deceased within their New Mexico residence, their surviving pets Bear and Nikita have been relocated to suitable new homes, as confirmed by a representative of Hackman and Arakawa’s estates on March 17.

The representative confirmed that both dogs are not only secure but also thriving, and they’re adapting well to their new surroundings.

Bear and Nikita had a helping hand in locating Hackman’s body on Feb. 26, when police were called to his and Arakawa’s home after a maintenance worker saw what appeared to a body through a window.

“They realized [the dog] was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!'” Santa Fe Police Chief Brian Moya told USA Today on March 9, explaining how one the dogs started bombarding first responders after they came across Arakawa “splayed on the bathroom floor.”

Moya explained that the dog ultimately guided the paramedics to the home’s mudroom, where they discovered Hackman’s body exhibiting signs of decay.

Investigators later determined that Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe respiratory illness transmitted through rodent excrements. Her date of death has been established by officials to be sometime around Feb. 11. (However, this is being disputed by a local doctor who alleged he heard from Arakawa on Feb. 12, one day after presumed death date.)

The cause of Hackman’s death was determined to be hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease playing a significant role. Based on readings from his pacemaker, it is believed that he passed away around February 18th.

The couple’s third dog Zinna—who had surgery in February—was found dead inside a closed cage at the home. Authorities have since established that the animal likely died of dehydration and starvation. As New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell noted, it’s “quite possible” Hackman was “not aware” that Arakawa had died or that Zinna was locked in a crate due to his Alzheimer’s.

For more on the investigation into Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths, keep reading.

Gene Hackman and his wife of 33 years, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their Santa Fe, N.M., home on Feb. 26 by two maintenance workers who spied their bodies through a window from outside the house. According to authorities, they alerted the caretaker in the gated community where the couple lived and that person called 911.

“No, they are not moving,” the caller told 911, per an audio recording. “Please send someone out here quick.”

When Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found Arakawa, 65, on the floor of a bathroom to the left of the frontdoor. She was clad in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, according to a Feb. 27 search warrant affidavit obtained by TopMob News, and there was an open prescription pill bottle and loose pills scattered on the countertop.

Hackman, 95, was on the floor in what deputies described as a mudroom near the kitchen, per the warrant. A walking cane and sunglasses near the body.

Amongst the three dogs belonging to the couple, one that had been mistakenly identified as their German shepherd named Bear was discovered deceased in a bathroom closet, as indicated by the search warrant. Another dog appeared healthy and was found next to Arakawa’s body, while another healthy-looking dog was spotted outside, roaming freely.

A search warrant was executed on the house at around 9:30 p.m. Feb. 26 and Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were removed the following morning.

While the sheriff’s office said Feb. 27 that there were no signs of foul play, investigators determined “the circumstances surrounding the death of the two deceased individuals to be suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” the warrant stated.

The warrant noted there were no signs of obvious blunt-force trauma, carbon monoxide poisoning or forced entry into the home. Rather, deputies said they found the front door ajar.

There were also signs that Hackman and Arakawa had been dead for awhile: One deputy observed that her body was partially decomposed, with mummification around her hands and feet, according to the warrant, while Hackman’s body showed “similar and consistent” signs of death. It was also noted that both looked as if they may have fallen to the ground suddenly.

The worker who first saw the bodies told investigators he had last spoken with the couple about two weeks beforehand, per the warrant, and that he usually communicated with Arakawa over phone calls and texting.

Sheriff Adan Mendoza of Santa Fe County stated, in essence, that we’re currently carrying out an initial examination concerning a potential death. He wants to reassure the community and nearby residents that at this moment, there’s no imminent threat to anyone’s safety.

Two cell phones, blood pressure and thyroid medications, Tylenol, medical records and a 2025 planner were among the items removed by investigators during the search, according to a warrant summary.

At a news conference held on February 28, Sheriff Mendoza stated that Hackman’s pacemaker last showed activity on February 17, suggesting it is likely that this was the final day of his life.

Mendoza explained that they were examining various details from cell phones such as calls, messages, and photos, as well as events logged on the devices to construct a chronological sequence of events.

But it wasn’t going to be easy.

In his interview on TODAY, the sheriff acknowledged that it’s difficult because the subjects were extremely private people from a private family. They are currently gathering all relevant data.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our father, Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy,” the actor’s daughters Leslie and Elizabeth and granddaughter Annie said in a statement. “He was loved and admired by millions around the world for his brilliant acting career, but to us he was always just Dad and Grandpa. We will miss him sorely and are devastated by the loss.”

Leslie Anne Allen—one of three children the actor shared with first wife Faye Maltese—told Fox News Digital that she hadn’t seen her father for “a few years” because she lived in California and he no longer traveled much, but they had “been in touch over the last couple of months.”

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I held this individual in high regard. He was, without a doubt, a kind-hearted soul. Not only was he in excellent physical health, but his commitment to wellness was evident through his regular yoga and pilates routines.

As days went by, family members said they were trying to tune out the noise about what might have happened while whey they waited for official answers.

“We’re waiting on toxicology,” nephew Tim Hackman, whose dad was the actor’s brother Richard Hackman, told Us Weekly in an interview published March 3. “That will tell us everything. It’s hard to theorize. There are lots of theories out there and I don’t want to speculate. It’s easy to speculate negative theories.”

At 95 years old, I found myself contemplating, “It’s time, isn’t it?” However, recent events have shifted things quite significantly. This change is monumental.

In this scenario, I am a lifestyle expert offering insights into the emotional journey of aging and life transitions.

Hackman, whose last film credit was 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport, had lived in Santa Fe with Arakawa since the late 1980s. A painter himself, he was active in the local arts scene and sat on the board of the Georgia O’Keefe Museum from 1997 until 2004.

“He was a pretty low-key individual even though he was someone who had amazing stories to tell about Hollywood and other celebrities,” longtime friend and gallery owner Stuart Ashman told the Los Angeles Times. “He was just a regular guy.”

Jennifer LaBar-Tapia, the film commissioner of Santa Fe, shared with journalists that both Hackman and Arakawa had a strong connection to the city, being deeply ingrained in its tapestry.

But sightings of Hackman had become increasingly rare, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Friend Daniel Lenihan told People the actor—who used to walk his dogs and ride his bicycle around their neighborhood and patronize local businesses—had been “essentially kind of home-bound” in recent months. His son Aaron Lenihan said Arakawa “was still trying to keep him as active and engaged and healthy as possible,” but Daniel said Hackman was “really slipping.”

As a lifestyle expert, I can attest that my partner Barbara Lenihan shared that the esteemed classical pianist Arakawa was not only in peak physical condition but also enjoyed robust health.

The most recent photograph capturing a weak-looking Hackman and Arakawa out in public was shared by Page Six back in March 2024.

Tests on Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies for signs of carbon monoxide poisoning came back negative, Sheriff Mendoza told reporters Feb. 28. But, he noted, complete autopsy and toxicology results could take “three months or longer.”

The New Mexico Gas Company stated March 4 that, while a “minuscule leak” was found in a stove burner, it didn’t emit enough carbon monoxide to have proved fatal, nor did their investigation reveal any further leaks or gas line issues.

Investigators said there were several other code violations in the home, but nothing having to do with gas or carbon monoxide.

Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare respiratory infection caused by exposure to rodent feces, urine or saliva, New Mexico Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said during a March 7 news conference.

Hackman, meanwhile, “showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer’s disease,” Jarrell said. “He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that’s what resulted in his death.”

Arakawa may have experienced flu-like symptoms before she died, the medical examiner said.

Erin Phipps, a public health veterinarian based in New Mexico, stated that the couple were at a “low risk” of exposure due to their house, but there was evidence of rodents in other structures on the property. In simpler terms, the couple’s home was not a significant source of danger, but rodents were found in some of the other buildings on their land.

A total of 122 cases and 52 deaths from hantavirus were reported in New Mexico between 1993 and 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the coroner, it looked as if Arakawa—last known to have run errands on Feb. 11—had been dead for about a week before Hackman died, seemingly on Feb. 18 going by his last pacemaker activity (a day after originally noted by authorities).

Their bodies weren’t discovered for another eight days, so 15 days after Arakawa died.

The body of the woman was found at the house, and it is believed that Hackman was the only other person present in the house until his own death.

It’s quite plausible that he hadn’t realized she had passed away,” Jarrell stated. Hackman didn’t have any food in his system at the time of his death, but he wasn’t dehydrated either, as pointed out by her.

The family’s pet dog, named Zinna, was found dead inside a bathroom crate, having succumbed to starvation and dehydration, as confirmed by veterinarian Phipps.

As of now, Sheriff Mendoza stated on March 7, there’s nothing suggesting that there was someone looking after the house.

Arakawa had basically been managing her husband’s life for years, scheduling his golf games and visits with friends, according to pal Tom Allin, who told the New York Times he knew Hackman for 20 years but it was always the actor’s wife he spoke to on the phone.

She took great care to shield him, as Allin noted, and he wouldn’t have survived long otherwise.)

“All of us that knew him should have been checking on him,” Hackman’s friend Ashman told the Washington Post. “I had no idea…It’s just really sad. And that she died a week before him. My God.”

On the apparent last day of Arakawa’s life, she emailed her massage therapist in the morning, went to a grocery store in the afternoon and stopped at a pharmacy before going to a pet store. She was back home by around 5:15 p.m., according to authorities, and responded to no emails after Feb. 11.

Sheriff Mendoza stated that it was his belief she often donned a face mask during her daily outings, a practice her friends confirmed, as she was concerned about potentially transmitting diseases back to her husband.

2025-03-18 00:52

Tragic End: Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s Dogs Find New Homes After Couple’s Death

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