One of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s surviving dogs played a role in helping investigators find their bodies last month, the Santa Fe fire chief said.
Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya told NBC News’ Liz Kreutz that investigators quickly found the body of Arakawa after a 911 caller alerted them to the scene, but it took first responders several minutes to locate Hackman.
One of the couple’s surviving dogs began barking at them and appeared to be leading them to the mudroom of the home, where they found Hackman’s body, Moya said.
“It was a heartfelt story, you know, in a tragic case,” Moya said. “A man’s best friend is a dog, and the dog was trying to, one last time, let them know that his owner was down and that we needed to get over there to help.”
Hackman and Arakawa were found dead along with one of their dogs on Feb. 26 in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and were later found to have died separately, several days apart, officials said.
Hackman died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a significant contributory factor, Dr. Heather Jarrell, chief medical investigator for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, said during a press conference on March 7.
“He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that is what resulted in his death,” Jarrell said.
Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is caused by hantavirus, a rare infection primarily spread by rodents through their urine, saliva, and droppings, Jarrell said.
Hackman did not test positive for hantavirus, Jarrell said.
“I can tell you that he was in an advanced state of Alzheimer’s, and it’s quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased,” Jarrell said.
Based on the medical examiner’s findings, Arakawa was believed to have died before her husband. Her email and text communications stopped on Feb. 11, and Hackman was believed to have died around Feb. 18.
Their bodies were not located until Feb. 26, when two maintenance workers on the property called 911 after they saw at least one person not moving inside of the home.
“No, dude, they’re not moving at all,” the 911 caller said, according to audio of the call. “Just send somebody out here really quick.”
The Oscar-winning actor and his wife’s estate filed a legal petition on March 11 attempting to block the release of photos and videos taken as emergency personnel responded to the home.
The petition seeks to prevent the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and the local medical examiner from releasing documents related to the case, like crime scene photos and body camera footage.
“During their lifetime, the Hackmans placed significant value on their privacy and took affirmative, vigilant steps to safeguard their privacy,” the petition stated.
The petition added: “Protecting one’s privacy in death is simply the right thing to do.”
A cause of death has not been determined for the dog that was found deceased. Two other dogs were found alive and healthy on the property.
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