"kaput" literally means broken. It could mean "dead" in the sense that an appliance is dead (i.e. "The blender is kaput.") It has a double meaning in English when used with an object. It is not mean to be "dead" as applies to something living but rather "dead" as applies to an object that no longer functions.
Hope that all makes sense.

This is really creepy. It looks like something wiped it off to see through...

Vic:

that's the first thing I thought as well!