# Gene Hackman 911 caller pursued 'wellness check' before finding star and his wife Betsy dead

Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman hadn't been heard from in weeks when Jesse Kesler, owner of MudCity Builders, made the decision to alert law enforcement.

 and wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman hadn't been heard from in weeks when Jesse Kesler, owner of MudCity Builders, made the decision to alert law enforcement.

Kesler had stopped by the Hackmans'  property unplanned on Feb. 26 because he hadn't heard from Betsy in two weeks, a stark contrast to their "every three days" communications Kesler was used to.

"We were getting pretty worried," Kesler exclusively told Fox News Digital. "We knew something was wrong."

"We asked law enforcement for advice on how to do it. We started the process of a wellness check," Kesler said. "We had to involve a family member to do a wellness check. They had to have an authorization from a family member."

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital they were not contacted by anyone prior to February 26, 2025, regarding a wellness check on the Hackman’s or their residence.





Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Hackman weren't seen for weeks before their bodies were discovered.

> "We asked law enforcement for advice on how to do it. We started the process of a wellness check."
> — Jesse Kesler

Gene's daughter, Leslie, exclusively told Fox News Digital that not only had she never spoken to Kesler before, she was unaware of anyone pursuing a wellness check on her father or Betsy, including the sheriff's department.

> "No one had reached out."
> — Leslie Hackman



**LISTEN: GENE HACKMAN 911 CALL**

Gene died due to hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease, with  as a significant contributing factor, New Mexico officials confirmed one week ago. He was likely alone in the home for about a week until he died around Feb. 18, which was the last time activity was recorded on his pacemaker.

Betsy died due to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, which is transmitted from animals to humans and is commonly found in rodents, the New Mexico Department of Health confirmed. Her autopsy determined the manner of death as natural. Authorities believe she died on or about Feb. 11.

Hantavirus is characterized by "flu-like symptoms consisting of fever, muscle aches, cough, sometimes vomiting and diarrhea that can progress to shortness of breath and cardiac or heart failure and lung failure," Chief Medical Investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell explained during the news conference.

**WATCH: NEW MEXICO OFFICIALS CONFIRMED THE CAUSES OF GENE HACKMAN AND WIFE BETSY'S DEATHS**

Jarrell performed a full autopsy on Gene the day after his body was discovered, which showed "severe , including multiple surgical procedures involving the heart, evidence of prior heart attacks, and severe changes of the kidneys due to chronic high blood pressure."

Both Gene and Betsy tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning, and a full toxicology report is pending.

The investigation remains ongoing until cellphone data can be reviewed, and a necropsy is performed on their deceased dog, Zinna.

Kesler told Fox News Digital that he remembers the Hackmans as "kind" and "generous."

"We cared about people," he said.



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