Fresh autopsy report reveals heartbreaking cause behind actor Gene Hackman’s dog’s death after body partially mummified

According to the report from the state Department of Agriculture’s veterinary lab, the dog which was an Australian kelpie mix named Zinfandel or “Zinna”, died from dehydration and starvation. 

It is understood the dog's stomach was mostly empty except for small amounts of hair and bile.

While partial mummification obscured some organs of the dog, there was no additional evidence to suggest infectious disease, trauma or poisoning could have resulted in the pet's sudden death.

The kelpie mix was found dead in a crate in a bathroom closet near Arakawa's body, while the couple's two other dogs survived. 

The two surviving dogs allegedly helped officers find Hackman's body after they searched his home for more than 30 minutes, Fire Chief Brian Moya told USA Today earlier this month.

The actor's body was found in the home's entryway, while his musician wife of 24 years was found in the bathroom, next to an orange prescription pill bottle.

Both bodies were reportedly decomposing due to the especially dry climate in Santa Fe. 

Police had previously ruled out any external trauma to the couple but launched an investigation into the suspicious circumstances surrounding their deaths.

Last week, authorities confirmed Hackman died from “significant” heart disease with added complications from advanced Alzheimer’s disease about a week after a rare disease — hantavirus pulmonary syndrome — claimed the life of his wife.

Hackman suffering from Alzheimer's was apparently unaware of his wife's death. 

While the exact time of Hackman's death could not be determined, Dr Heather Jarrell from the New Mexico Medical Investigator's Office pointed to the actor's pacemaker which stopped recording cardiac activity on February 18.

Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza outlined Arakawa's final days, revealing on February 9 she had picked up one of her dogs – later found dead – which had undergone a procedure.

Then two days later she emailed her therapist and visited a market.

That same day she was spotted on CCTV at a pharmacy and pet food shop.

Dr Jarrell concluded it was likely that Arakawa died on February 11, one week before her husband, given there had been no other communication from the 63-year-old musician.