Gene Hackman’s dead dog wrongly ID'd as mystery surrounding actor's death looms
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The misidentified dog was a mixed breed named Zinna
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Published March 5, 2025 11:27am EST

     


- Stuart Ashman, a friend who met the late Gene Hackman at Pilates classes, shared with Fox News Digital that the actor was very "fit."

While authorities continue to investigate the mysterious death of legendary actor  and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, a misstep was found in the case.

The dog that was found dead near Arakawa's body was misidentified by the Santa Fe County (New Mexico) Sheriff’s Department in the investigation, Fox News Digital can confirm.

The owner of the Santa Fe Tails, the pet care facility that took in Hackman’s two other surviving dogs, explained that the dead dog was a different breed than what is listed in the search warrant affidavit, obtained by Fox News Digital.



"The French Connection" actor Gene Hackman's dead dog has been misidentified, a pet care facility confirmed with Fox News Digital.

(Highlighted caption: "The French Connection" actor Gene Hackman's dead dog has been misidentified, a pet care facility confirmed with Fox News Digital.)

Hackman and his wife’s three dogs were named Zinna, Bear, and Nikita.



Portrait of actor Gene Hackman at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Chicago on May 10, 1985.

(Highlighted caption: Portrait of actor Gene Hackman at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Chicago on May 10, 1985.)

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila acknowledged that deputies initially misidentified the breed of the deceased dog.



Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Feb. 27 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in the home a day earlier.

(Highlighted caption: Law enforcement officials talk outside the home of actor Gene Hackman on Feb. 27 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in the home a day earlier.)

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Padilla told Fox News Digital that the shepherd mix appeared frightened by the  that unfolded surrounding their now-deceased owners.



Gene Hackman in the 1988 film "Mississippi Burning."

(Highlighted caption: Gene Hackman appears in a classic film scene from Mississippi Burning before his death in 2025.)

While it is unclear how long the surviving dogs were left unattended, the pet care facility owner said the shepherd mix "was hungry," and their team attempted to give her treats. However, the dog did not immediately take the treats since there were "too many people" around.

Hacker and Arakawa may have died up to two weeks earlier, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.





Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991.

(Highlighted caption: Hackman and Arakawa married in 1991.)





(Highlighted caption: Gene Hackman and his wife pictured in Los Angeles, California, 1986.)

Authorities have been searching for answers after the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa, whose partially mummified bodies were discovered on Feb. 26 at their Santa Fe home.

Authorities did not perform a necropsy on Zinna, who was found in a kennel in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, the search warrant stated. Investigators initially noted the discovery of a "deceased brown in color German-Shepherd canine."



(Highlighted caption: Gene Hackman and his wife at the 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards.)

Hackman and Arakawa may have died up to two weeks earlier, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.





(Highlighted caption: Gene Hackman and his wife pictured in Los Angeles, California, 1986.)





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