SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) 鈥� Authorities misidentified a deceased dog while investigating the and his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, according to a pet care specialist.
The couple's German shepherd, named Bear, survived along with a second dog named Nikita, but their kelpie mix, Zinna, died, according to Joey Padilla, owner of the Santa Fe Tails pet care facility that is involved in the surviving dogs' care.
The dog that died 鈥渨as always attached to Betsy at the hip and it was a beautiful relationship,鈥� Padilla said in an email statement Tuesday. 鈥淶inna went from being a returned shelter dog to this incredible companion under Betsy鈥檚 hand.鈥�
Authorities have been searching for answers after the deaths of Hackman and Arakawa, whose partially mummified bodies were discovered on Feb. 26 at their Santa Fe home. Hackman and Arakawa may have , 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 鈥渄eceased brown in color German-Shepard canine.鈥�
Spokesperson Denise Avila acknowledged that sheriff鈥檚 deputies initially misidentified the breed of the deceased dog.
鈥淥ur deputies, they don鈥檛 work with canines on a daily basis,鈥� she said.
USA Today first reported on the mistaken identification of the dead dog.
Arakawa鈥檚 body was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom countertop, while Hackman鈥檚 remains were found in the home鈥檚 entryway.
The two bodies both have , 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. ___
This story has been updated to correct the definition of carbon monoxide.
___
Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud and Sejal Govindarao in Phoenix contributed to this story.
Morgan Lee, The Associated Press
