Authorities have been searching for answers after the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa, whose partially mummified bodies were discovered on February 26 at their Santa Fe home. Hackman and Arakawa may have died up to two weeks earlier, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said.
Authorities did not perform a necropsy on Zinna, who was found in a kennel in a bathroom closet near Arakawa, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said. Investigators initially noted the discovery of a “deceased brown in color German-Shepard canine.”
Sheriff’s office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila acknowledged that deputies initially misidentified the breed of the deceased dog. “Our deputies, they don’t work with canines on a daily basis,” she said.
Arakawa’s body was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom countertop, while Hackman’s remains were found in the home’s entryway.
The two bodies both have tested negative for carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that is a byproduct of fuel burned in some home appliances and can be fatal in poorly ventilated homes. No gas leaks were discovered in or around the home.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office also said that a more extensive utility company inspection found that one burner on a stove in the house had a miniscule leak that could not be lethal.
Authorities retrieved personal items from the home, including a monthly planner and two cellphones that will be analyzed. Medical investigators are still working to clarify the cause of deaths, but the results of toxicology reports aren’t expected for weeks.
