Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s dog, Zinfandel—known as Zinna—most likely died of dehydration and starvation, according to a Santa Fe Animal Control necropsy report quoted by ABC News. The conclusion was conditional: it applied if the dog had been confined without access to food or water. A state veterinary laboratory later attributed the dog’s death to dehydration and starvation, the Associated Press reported.
What investigators found about Zinna’s death
The Santa Fe Animal Control necropsy report, as described by ABC News on March 15, 2025, said Zinna most likely died of dehydration and starvation if she had been confined without food or water. The report described her stomach as mostly empty, with small amounts of hair and bile. It reported no evidence of infection, trauma or poisoning.
The distinction matters: the necropsy’s wording was a likely explanation under a stated condition, not an unqualified finding that investigators had directly established how long the dog lacked food or water. Separately, the Associated Press reported on April 25, 2025, that a state veterinary laboratory attributed the dog’s death to dehydration and starvation.
Where the dog was found
Zinfandel was an Australian kelpie mix. She was found dead in a crate about 10 to 15 feet from Arakawa’s body when the couple were discovered on February 26, 2025. Their two other dogs were found alive, according to ABC News and the Associated Press.
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How the dog’s death fits the timeline
The investigation’s statements came at different stages and should not be treated as the same finding. On February 27, while the investigation was still underway, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said foul play was not currently suspected and that the Office of the Medical Investigator would determine the causes of death, TheWrap reported.
Later medical findings established that Arakawa died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome; February 11 was the last day she was known to be alive. Hackman likely died around February 18 of heart disease, with Alzheimer’s disease as a contributing factor, according to CBS News’s report on the officials’ findings. The couple were found on February 26. Those findings explain the couple’s deaths; they are separate from the evidence and conclusions about Zinna.
Quick Recap
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