Gene Hackman’s Australian kelpie mix dog, Zinfandel, likely died from starvation and dehydration after being left without food or water in a crate at the couple’s New Mexico home. The necropsy report, released by the Santa Fe Animal Control, stated that there was “severe postmortem decomposition with partial mummification” and no evidence of an infection, trauma, or poisoning.
The dog’s stomach was mostly empty, except for small amounts of hair and bile, indicating it had not eaten recently. The report concluded that if the dog was confined without access to food or water, it most likely died from dehydration/starvation.
Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their home on February 26, with no obvious signs of how they died. Their two other dogs were found alive, but had access to a doggy door that allowed them to escape the confined space where Zinfandel was found. The couple’s bodies showed signs of decomposition, and Hackman died from cardiovascular disease likely around February 18, while Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome on February 11.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/gene-hackman-dog-cause-of-death/story?id=119814990