Authorities have corrected the record after misidentifying a deceased dog while investigating the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa.
The couple’s German shepherd, named Bear, was originally believed to have died but Bear survived along with a second dog named Nikita. It was the couple’s kelpie mix, Zinna, who died, according to Joey Padilla, the owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility that is involved in the surviving dogs’ care.
Zinna was found in a kennel in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, a sheriff's office spokesperson said.
Investigators initially noted the discovery of a “deceased brown in colour German-Shepard canine” and the spokesperson acknowledged that sheriff’s deputies initially misidentified the breed of the deceased dog.
“Our deputies, they don’t work with canines on a daily basis,” they said.
USA Today first reported on the mistaken identification of the dead dog.
The dog that died “was always attached to Betsy at the hip and it was a beautiful relationship,” Padilla from the pet care facility said in an email statement.
“Zinna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy’s hand.”
Hackman and Arakawa’s partially mummified bodies were discovered on 26 February at their Santa Fe home. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said the couple may have died up to two weeks earlier.
Arakawa’s body was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom countertop, while Hackman’s remains were found in the home’s entryway.
The two bodies both have tested negative for carbon monoxide, the colourless and odourless gas that fuels home appliances and can be fatal in poorly ventilated homes. No gas leaks were discovered in or around the home.
On Tuesday (4 March), the sheriff's office also said that a more extensive utility company inspection found that one burner on a stove in the house had a minuscule leak that could not be lethal.
Authorities retrieved personal items from the home, including a monthly planner and two cellphones that will be analysed. Medical investigators are still working to clarify the cause of deaths but the results of toxicology reports aren't expected for weeks.
