‘s untimely passing has sparked huge questions after the Hollywood icon, aged 95, was found dead at his Santa Fe residence on February 26, alongside Betsy, aged 65, and one of their dogs. The grim discovery revealed their bodies in a state of decomposition and partial mummification within separate areas of the home.
Officials noted that Hackman died from coronary artery disease, which had been progressed by his Alzheimer’s disease. It is believed he passed away on February 18, nearly a week prior to Arakawa, who died from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which comes from contact with rodents. The person who stumbled upon the remains at the mansion and called 911, has now expressed that he had “knew something was wrong” with the pair. Jesse Kesler told Fox about his deep concerns and previous efforts to schedule a welfare check for the duo before the heart-wrenching discovery.
Gene Hackman was found dead aged 95 (Image: Getty)
Kesler, boasting a 16-year history of employment with Hackman and Arakawa, revealed that he ventured to the place after not receiving any communication from Betsy for a fortnight.
The maintenance attendant recounted how he used to converse with her “every three days”, reports . We were getting pretty worried,” he admitted. “We knew something was wrong, we asked law enforcement for advice on how to do it,” Kesler elaborated.
“We started the process of a wellness check. We had to involve a family member to do a wellness check. They had to have authorization from a family member.”
The worker explained that after being unable to reach any of Hackman’s relatives, he took it upon himself to enter the residence. “And finally, finally, I saw the security guard, and that’s when me and him went in,” he added.
Kesler also expressed regret for not entering the property earlier, suggesting to the Daily Mail that doing so may have allowed him to “might have been able to save Gene or the dog.”
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Gene Hackman and his with Betsy were both discovered dead (Image: Getty)
Hackman’s daughter, Leslie, informed Fox News that she had no prior contact with Kesler and was unaware of any wellness check being conducted. She stated: “No one had reached out,” and authorities only contacted her about her father’s wellbeing after “the discovery”.
According to the Santa Fe police, they were not notified about Hackman until the 911 call on February 26, when the bodies were discovered. Betsy’s body was found on a bathroom floor near a portable heater, while Gene was found in a room close to the kitchen.
An insider revealed to MailOnline: “The inside of the house was shocking. They didn’t have a housekeeper or a maid, so it had beautiful things – furniture and paintings but there was dog poop on the floor. The inside of the house was bad. Nothing had been dusted. There was nothing in the fridge.”
While Gene and Betsy did not have children together, Gene was already a father to a son, Christopher Allen, 65, and daughters Leslie Anne, 58, and Elizabeth Jean, 62, from a previous relationship. Following the couple’s passing, Leslie paid tribute to Betsy, crediting her with “keeping him alive” and emphasising their “wonderful marriage”.