Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s dog, which was found dead alongside her owners in their Santa Fe home, was partially mummified, according to a state necropsy report.
The kelpie mix named Zinna, short of “Zinfandel,” was locked in a crate in a bathroom near Arakawa’s body, said a New Mexico Department of Agriculture report.
She died of dehydration and starvation, veterinarians concluded.
The lab report also detailed partial mummification and noted that while the dog’s severe decomposition could have obscured changes in the organs, there was no evidence of infectious disease, trauma or poisoning that could have resulted in death.
Zinna’s stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile, according to the report.
The pup went from being a returned shelter dog to an adored companion that was always at Arakawa’s side, according to Joey Padilla, the owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility that took in the couple’s two surviving dogs.
However, she met a grim fate when her owners died.
Arakawa, 65, died for about a week before Hackman, 95, authorities previously said.
The iconic actor died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after a rare, rodent-borne disease — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — took the life of his wife.
Hackman, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, was reportedly unaware that his wife was dead.
The husband and wife were found dead in their Santa Fe home on Feb. 26.
While both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office is finishing up the investigation by tying up the timeline with information gained from cellphones collected at the scene.
“The case is considered active until we have that information to tie up the timeline,” said Denise Womack Avila, a spokesperson for the sheriff.
With Post wires.
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