Gene Hackman dead at 95: Iconic actor and wife, 63, are found dead with their dog at Santa Fe home. #2

[FansBlowing]

Has food poisoning been ruled out yet, i.e., deadly mushrooms? The dog could have gotten the leftovers too.

 

[ASipowicz]

There's quite a bit more info here about the dogs.
Sheriff's office makes error about Gene Hackman's dog in initial death report

RE the animal chiropractor who regularly treated the dogs, "The last time she saw Arakawa was in October, when she brought in Bear for an adjustment." Betsy's mother's housekeeper had stated that the last time Betsy called her mother was in October. I wonder if something had happened in October that led to Betsy's change in habits.

 

[Sunshynn]

Has food poisoning been ruled out yet, i.e., deadly mushrooms? The dog could have gotten the leftovers too.

JMO - it has been stated a lot that Gene and Betsy were very much dog and animal lovers so they would surely know that mushrooms are toxic to dogs.

 

[ttjo]

Someone mentioned earlier maybe they mover the bedroom closer for genes mobility

Are there any bedrooms on the main floor? 4 bedrooms and how many bathrooms?

 

[CityKid]

October keeps coming up in relation to the couple.
Not that I'm thinking there is any real significance, just something I have noticed.

Sheriff's office makes error about Gene Hackman's dog in initial death report

Authorities are still unraveling the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife. Equally puzzling were reports their German shepherd had died. He hadn't.

www.aol.com

Quote from the article and bbm:

"..Gaber treated Zinna before and after training sessions and competitions, she said. As she got older, Zinna – short for zinfandel – stopped training. But Arakawa continued bringing the dogs in for sessions.

“They wanted to do all the right things for their animals because they loved them so deeply,” Gaber said.

The last time she saw Arakawa was in October, when she brought in Bear for an adjustment. The German shepherd, who Arakawa rescued from the side of Interstate 25, appeared to enjoy his session, Gaber said. She and Arakawa joked and promised to meet up again soon.

Then, last week, the messages came in: Her two close friends were dead, as was Zinna."

Exclusive | Inside Gene Hackman, wife Betsy Arakawa’s final days before couple mysteriously found dead in New Mexico home: ‘Got tougher for them’

Daniel told The Post it had been “years” since he last saw Hackman, his friend of more than 30 years, in person.

nypost.com

Quote from article and bbm:

"..Keiko, a housekeeper for Arakawa’s mother, told the Daily Mail the classical pianist used to check in on her own 91-year-old mother, Yoshie Feaster, regularly, as the latter is battling dementia.

However, she added, “Betsy hadn’t called her mother in months.”

“She usually called every one or two months,” the housekeeper added. “Last time she called was October. We were thinking, what happened?”

Keiko said the family became worried over Arakawa’s alleged lack of communication."

I noticed that those two events happened in October as well. I wonder if it was tied to a steep decline in Gene's health.

 

[Pseudonymph]

Regardless of Betsy's reported state of health, as far as we can tell, she hadn't seen anyone for quite a while. It is difficult to be a caregiver, and things could have gotten really weird at that house. Also, my dad died suddenly of a heart attack at 63. He also seemed like the picture of health. Things happen.

 

[ttjo]

RE the animal chiropractor who regularly treated the dogs, "The last time she saw Arakawa was in October, when she brought in Bear for an adjustment." Betsy's mother's housekeeper had stated that the last time Betsy called her mother was in October. I wonder if something had happened in October that led to Betsy's change in habits.

with dementia, especially advanced they dont really remember the visits. Maybe it just was too much for Betsy, They say dementia is harder on the loved ones than the person suffering b/c the dementia people forget.

 

[CityKid]

Someone mentioned earlier maybe they mover the bedroom closer for genes mobility

That was my guess earlier (based on seeing this happen with elderly neighbors who've done the same). No matter how fit you are, at Gene's age, climbing those stairs several times a day is risky.

 

[NCWatcher]

JMO - it has been stated a lot that Gene and Betsy were very much dog and animal lovers so they would surely know that mushrooms are toxic to dogs.

Store bought mushrooms are not toxic to dogs. It's not a good idea to encourage pets to eat mushrooms though. And wild mushrooms can be toxic, of course.

I don't think we have any evidence the couple foraged. Maybe someone brought them bad food though.

6 Poisonous Mushrooms That Are Toxic to Dogs

Can dogs eat mushrooms? The answer is—not all of them. Find out all about poisonous mushrooms and which wild mushrooms your dog should avoid at all costs.

www.petmd.com

MOO

 

[friendlysleuther]

Are there any bedrooms on the main floor? 4 bedrooms and how many bathrooms?

I believe it was just a 1 story home

ETA Actually, I’m not sure. BUT I thought they said Betsy was in the master bathroom? Maybe not, I dont know

 

[heartandsoul]

As they clearly loved German Shepherds, and both Bear and Nikita are either pure or mixed, I would suggest Zinna may well have also been a mix and would account for the initial confusion.

Poor girl. Her death will haunt me.

 

[Sunshynn]

Store bought mushrooms are not toxic to dogs.

I stand corrected.
Thank you for the article.
However, like you, I wouldn't want to encourage a pet to eat store bought mushrooms.

 

[Cherwell]

Are there any bedrooms on the main floor? 4 bedrooms and how many bathrooms?

No matter how fit you are, at Gene's age, climbing those stairs several times a day is risky.

Is there more than one floor? Doesn't look like it to me. Seems to be one sprawling main floor.

 

[friendlysleuther]

Is there more than one floor? Doesn't look like it to me. Seems to be one sprawling main floor.

Thanks.. I know that in the houses diagram it states “1 s Fr” which means “1 story frame house” (but, it definitely looks bigger than that!)

 

[Sunshynn]

Revisiting Gene Hackman’s House in Santa Fe

AD looks back on our 1990 tour of the late actor’s rustic New Mexico abode

www.architecturaldigest.com

I believe it was just a 1 story home

Based on the photo in this article, it appears to be 2 story, at least.
Also, the floor plan that you had posted sometime earlier I think also makes it clear that it was a 2 story home.
MOO

 

[Cherwell]

I'm still unclear whether the room where Betsy was found was actually a bathroom or just a toilet. In the UK it's common to have a small room with a toilet near the outside door, but we don't call it a bathroom unless there is a bath in it! One of those language differences between British English and American English.

 

[CityKid]

I believe it was just a 1 story home

ETA Actually, I’m not sure. BUT I thought they said Betsy was in the master bathroom? Maybe not, I dont know

From this photo you can see the two stories.

Revisiting Gene Hackman’s House in Santa Fe

AD looks back on our 1990 tour of the late actor’s rustic New Mexico abode

www.architecturaldigest.com

 

[ttjo]

Is there more than one floor? Doesn't look like it to me. Seems to be one sprawling main floor.

Sometimes I think I am reading about the Santa fe home, and then I realize its the old Montecito home they're describing with the grand staircase.
The pics posted above from architectural digest. has to be 2 floors, they have a wrap around deck, elevator?

 

[CityKid]

Is there more than one floor? Doesn't look like it to me. Seems to be one sprawling main floor.

Two stories, from the AD story. Looks like they knocked out the ceiling in the main living area to have that really high ceiling.

Revisiting Gene Hackman’s House in Santa Fe

AD looks back on our 1990 tour of the late actor’s rustic New Mexico abode

www.architecturaldigest.com

 

[Cardgame]

I noticed that those two events happened in October as well. I wonder if it was tied to a steep decline in Gene's health.

But if that were so, and I'm assuming you mean physical health, then why no additional caregivers coming to the home?

That's a long time for someone of 95 to be in rapidly declining health without additional support, especially given money wasn't a factor (presumably although I guess we don't know this for sure!).

I am still convinced we will discover there ARE people they were in contact with, but whose motivations were nefarious.

Either this, or they were both suffering from a decline in mental health. I feel they had gone beyond 'reclusive' and into 'isolated' which is a dangerous place to be for vulnerable people.