Legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa’s bodies were discovered on 26 February
Police tasked with investigating the mysterious deaths of legendary Hollywood actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have admitted a major crime scene mistake was made.
On 27 February, The Royal Tenenbaums star Hackman, 95, and his classically trained pianist wife Arakawa, 63, were found deceased at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by authorities.
The couple’s deaths – as well as the death of one of their dogs – was not initially believed to be suspicious; however, authorities are still stumped over the cause of their deaths, with the pair believed to have been deceased for some time before being discovered.
Authorities have since deemed the case ‘suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation’.
In a new update on the investigation, it’s been revealed that officers made a mix-up during identification of the couple’s dogs. According to a report shared by USA Today, police initially stated the deceased dog was a German Shepherd, leading many close to the couple to believe it was their dog Bear.
However, an animal chiropractor who worked with the couple has revealed the pup is alive. The outlet also revealed 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 since been taken to a local animal shelter. The owner of Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society has since confirmed that they are both in their care.
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Responding to the reports of a mix-up in the initial police report, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Denise Womack-Avila told the outlet that she wasn’t aware of the mistaken identity, but suggested 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.
This suggestion matches up to the initial a search warrant from officers, which stated authorities ‘continued to search the residence where they then observed/found a deceased brown in colour German-Shepard (sic) canine’.
Meanwhile, authorities are continuing to investigate the cause of Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths.
According to Sheriff Fe sheriff Adan Mendoza, the couple were discovered by maintenance workers at the property and appeared to have been dead for some time, with their bodies found partially mummified in separate rooms.
Arakawa’s body was discovered in the bathroom alongside various pills, which police have since deemed ‘suspicious enough’ to warrant a thorough investigation, while Hackman was found in the home’s mudroom alongside his sunglasses and walking cane.
