Authorities have revealed a heartbreaking act made by one of Gene Hackman's surviving dogs when first responders arrived at their home.
The actor, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were both found deceased in their Santa Fe, New Mexico, home on February 26, along with one of their pet dogs.
It had been determined that the pair had been dead for several days before they were found, and one of their dogs had also passed away.
At a press conference on Friday (March 7), Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell confirmed that Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — a rare and often fatal disease transmitted through infected rodent droppings, per BBC News.
Her death was ruled as natural, with no signs of trauma. She is believed to have passed away on February 11, the last day she was known to have communicated via email.
Hackman, a two-time Academy Award-winning actor, died roughly a week later, on February 18.
His cause of death was hypertensive cardiovascular disease, with advanced Alzheimer’s disease listed as a contributing factor. Dr. Jarrell noted that his pacemaker ceased recording cardiac activity on February 18, making it the likely date of his passing.
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It has been revealed that Hackman and Arakawa's loyal dogs had led rescuers to the couple's bodies when they arrived at the home.
One of their dogs, Zinna – a 12-year-old Australian Kelpie mix – was found dead inside a locked crate, but Bear and Nikita, the couple's two surviving dogs, had been wandering around the property for days.
According to USA Today, first responders had been at the Hollywood legend's home for almost half an hour before they noticed the dogs behaving strangely.
One of the dogs had barked at the emergency workers continuously before running away towards the other end of the house, leading them to initially believe it wanted to play.
Santa Fe Fire Chief Bryan Moya told the outlet: "They realized (the dog) was trying to say, ‘Hey, come over here! Come over here!’”
The dog - it is not known whether it was Bear or Nikita - then led the officers through a back door that had been left open, into the mudroom where Hackman was found lying on the ground.
The alarm had initially been raised by maintenance workers who called 911 for a welfare check on the couple.
Officers noted that besides Hackman and Arakawa's bodies, the home was otherwise clean and organized, and potential carbon monoxide poisoning was quickly ruled out as a cause of their deaths.
Santa Fe County Medical Examiner Heather Jarrell noted that due to Hackman's Alzheimer's, “it is quite possible he was not aware that she was deceased.”
The autopsy noted that while Hackman "had not eaten recently" before his death as there was "no food in his stomach," his body showed no "evidence of dehydration".
Our thoughts remain with the couple's loved ones at this difficult time.