Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were found dead at their home (Image: GETTY)
Oscar winner , 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 65, were found in their $3.8million Santa Fe home last week. The cause of their deaths remains unknown pending toxicology reports.
Friends of the couple have since shared an insight into their private lives and admitted the pair were were “true animal lovers, known for treating their beloved dogs as if they were their own children”.
Gene and Betsy were found in their New Mexico home along with their deceased German Shepherd. Their two other dogs were found alive at the property.
“Gene was what I would call a confirmed German Shepherd aficionado. I could not imagine him without a Shepherd,” Steff Smith, the founder of the Southwest German Shepherd Society in Phoenix, Arizona told DailyMail.com
“He was also a major softy. I recall him shedding tears upon meeting the first dog he adopted from us.”
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy adored their German Shepherds (Image: HANDOUT)
Gene and Betsy ended up adopting two dogs from the shelter in the early 2000s and remained longtime supporters and friends of the non-profit, according to Smith.
It comes as new details have emerged following an ongoing investigation.
It is still unclear who died first – Gene or Betsy. But fire chief Brian Moya said the location of their remains suggests it was around the same time.
Betsy’s body was found in a bathroom near unidentified pills strewn from a prescription bottle, while Gene’s remains were found in the home’s entryway
Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead at their home (Image: Getty)
Gene’s glasses and cane were on the floor beside him, suggesting he had fallen just before his death.
“Just because both bodies were in similar ways where we, as experts, sad to say that we know a lot about how people die and how long people are dead for – both bodies are in a similar manner that it could be a similar timeframe,” Moya told Fox News.
The police chief also noted the couple’s property spanned more than 9,000 square feet across three structures, so it’s telling that both bodies and that of their dog Zinna, were found in the same building.