NEWS'It Was Awful': Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's Contractor Who Found Their Bodies Says It Was 'One of the Worst Days of My Life'
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa's bodies were found by their contractor.
Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were tragically found dead at their Santa Fe, N.M., home by their longtime contractor Jesse Kesler, who worked with the couple for 16 years.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa were both found dead in their New Mexico home.
The 52-year-old revealed he grew worried when he hadn’t heard from the actor and his wife after constantly communicating with them for so long.
"I wish I’d gone in quicker… I might have been able to save Gene or the dog,” Kesler said in a phone interview earlier this week.
"To be honest, it was awful. It was one of the worst days of my life, and I’ve had some bad days. To see someone like that …" he explained as his voice trailed off during the call. "I was hoping for a better outcome, that maybe they were out of town and they just didn’t tell anyone, or they got locked in the wine cellar by accident."
Gene Hackman starred in several Oscar-winning movies.
Though he was initially silent about the tragedy, Kesler opted to share his distress over the misinformation circulating around the situation.
The contractor and a security guard named Ron decided to inspect the house, but Ron quickly called the police after they discovered Arakawa's body and later, with the help of the couple’s two living dogs, located Hackman’s body in the mudroom of the house.
Kasler previously refrained from commenting, citing the couple's privacy and revealed how the experience pushed him to seek therapy.
"We did not enter. The door was open to the bathroom from outside. We looked in, she was close and it was very obvious she was gone," he told Page Six. "I was told to stay out of the house, and [not to] go in there. I was hysterical. I pretty much lost it."
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Gene Hackman likely died days after Betsy Arakawa.
An autopsy confirmed that Arakawa died due to a rare rodent-transmitted virus known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome a week before her husband.
Hackman's cause of death was linked to cardiovascular disease, with underlying advanced Alzheimer's disease. Medical experts believe that due to his condition, the Mississippi Burning actor may not have been aware of his wife's passing.
Gene Hackman suffered from advanced Alzheimer's disease.
According to reports, the Hollywood icon likely spent his final days not being taken care of by his wife.
Dr. Heather Jarrell, Chief Medical Examiner for New Mexico at the office of the Medical Investigator, said: "It's quite possible that he was not aware that she was deceased."
During a press conference on Friday, March 7, the medical examiner revealed, "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease."
"He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death," she added. "There is no reliable method to determine time or date of death, but it is probably likely Mr. Hackman died around February 18. And based on circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude Ms. Hackman died first, with February 11 the last time she was known to be alive."
