Police investigating the deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, have admitted that a mistake was made at the crime scene.
The bodies of Hackman and Arakawa were discovered last Wednesday, February 27, at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Initial reports claimed that no foul-play was suspected, though investigators have since stated that there is suspicion enough to warrant a full investigation.
More details have come to light in the days since the discovery of the bodies, with authorities still at a loss to explain the deaths. Reports claim Hackman and Arakawa had been dead for some time, with the MailOnline speculating that their remains were “partially mummified”. One of the couple’s dogs was also found dead inside the home.
Hackman, 95, was found in a mudroom at the residence, while Arakawa’s body was discovered in the bathroom, beside pills that Santa Fe sheriff Adan Mendoza described as a “significant” piece of evidence.
In light of the tragedy, Hackman’s daughter, Elizabeth Jean Hackman, shared in an interview with TMZ that the family wasn’t entirely sure what led to the deaths, but that they suspected carbon monoxide poisoning could be to blame.
“The house is fairly modern, built in 2000,” Elizabeth explained, “but we don’t know if there were any issues with gas leaks or if there were any recent service calls to the property.”
As part of the subsequent investigation, Santa Fe City Fire department have seemingly ruled out carbon monoxide leak or poisoning as they found no signs present at the home.
It’s reported that the New Mexico Gas Company also found no signs of this after carrying out tests on the gas line and around the residence.
Sheriff Mendoza said on Friday, February 28, that Hackman’s pacemaker recorded its final heartbeat on February 17, making it ‘a very good assumption’ that it was the last day of his life.
A new update has now revealed that officers made a mistake in identifying the couple’s dogs. A report shared by USA Today outlines how police initially stated that the deceased dog was a German Shepherd, causing many close to the couple to believe it was their dog Bear.
An animal chiropractor who lent their services to Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa, however, has since confirmed that Bear is alive. USA Today went onto state that it was Zinna, a 12-year-old reddish Australian Kelpie mixed breed, who was found dead at the property.
Bear and Nikita, the couple’s third dog, have been taken to a local animal shelter in the wake of the deaths. The owner of Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society has since confirmed that they are both in their care.
Following reports of a mix-up in the initial police report, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Denise Womack-Avila suggested that investigators may have accidentally misidentified the breed.
“Our deputies do not deal with canines on a daily basis and I cannot currently speak to the condition or state of the dog’s body upon discovery,” she said in a statement.
Rest in pace, Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa.
