Contractor Jesse Kesler, who had worked for actor Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa for 16 years, raised concerns about the couple’s well-being days before their tragic deaths. Kesler, who discovered the decomposing bodies of the couple at their Santa Fe home, stated that he sensed something was amiss and attempted to arrange a wellness check after not hearing from Arakawa for two weeks, despite usually speaking with her every few days. Despite facing challenges in reaching Hackman’s family for authorization, Kesler decided to check on the couple himself with the help of a security guard. However, Hackman’s daughter Leslie revealed that she was unaware of any efforts to conduct a wellness check on her father and was not contacted until after his passing. The Santa Fe medical examiner reported that Arakawa succumbed to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, while Hackman passed away from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a contributing factor. Tragically, one of the couple’s dogs, recovering from surgery, died of starvation and dehydration. Authorities have revisited the timeline of events surrounding the deaths after new information emerged, including a call made by Arakawa to a doctor’s office a day after her presumed passing.
Dr. Josiah Child from Cloudberry Health in New Mexico has raised questions about the timeline of events provided by officials earlier this month.
