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Jesse Kesler had years of positive and personal memories from working as a contractor for Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman.
The owner of MudCity Builders, who worked with the Hackmans for more than 15 years, realized something was wrong after his “very strange” final email exchange with Betsy nearly three weeks before the couple was found dead in their home.
“The last email I had with her, I asked a question and I never got a reply to that question, which was very strange,” Kesler said. “At that time, I knew something was wrong. I thought maybe I was in trouble, thought maybe I had done something wrong. As time went on, it started to sink in more that something is definitely not right.”
GENE HACKMAN DEATH: COMPLETE COVERAGE
Gene Hackman’s contractor was worried about the couple leading up to the discovery of their bodies. (Jeffrey Mayer)
After not hearing back from Betsy over a two-week period, Kesler became more concerned for the couple and knew that something was “seriously wrong.”
“I started reaching out to other people and asking them if they had talked to them, and it was all the same thing … two and a half weeks, three weeks,” Kessler said. “It was not like them at all to just go out of town, or if something would have happened to someone, I think I would have known about it. And there was nothing. And so that’s when I knew I had to do something, and basically started the process.”
Kesler began the steps necessary to proceed with a wellness check after speaking with a friend in law enforcement and needed to get in touch with a family member to proceed, but didn’t know Gene’s children and only had Betsy’s mother’s assistants’ information.
WATCH: GENE HACKMAN’S CONTRACTOR FELT ‘SOMETHING WAS WRONG’ AFTER OMINOUS EMAIL
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He hesitated and didn’t want to bring attention to the ultraprivate couple, but he decided to stop by the Hackmans’ Santa Fe property unplanned on Feb. 26 one last time.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital they were not contacted by anyone regarding a wellness check on the Hackmans or their residence.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Hackman weren’t seen for weeks before their bodies were discovered. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa Hackman lived in a secluded Santa Fe estate. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department)
Photos of the Hackman home were taken by Santa Fe County sheriff’s deputies on the day Gene Hackman and Betsy Hackman’s bodies were discovered. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department)
Upon arrival, Kesler confronted a pest control employee leaving the property and asked if he saw anything suspicious in the home.
“The first thing he told me was, ‘Yes, the dogs are out.’ And dogs were never to be out,” Kesler said, before adding, “And that’s when my heart sank, and I knew something was really, really wrong.”
Kesler was surprised to see police photo evidence showing the home in disarray.
“She was clean,” Kesler said. “There’s a lot of reports out there saying that … the house was dirty, this and that. Every time I worked in that house, and I worked on that house a lot, that house was clean.”
WATCH: AUTHORITIES SEARCH GENE HACKMAN, WIFE BETSY ARAKAWA HACKMAN’S HOME
The cluttered bathroom vanity is shown with evidence markers. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department)
When Kesler arrived at the sheriff’s department to provide a statement, he said the interview was extremely stressful.
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“I found my best clients, who were friends, and found them dead,” he said. “At that time, I was definitely thinking something foul had taken place, and all I could think was it wasn’t obvious, but I knew that they had no evidence from what I had seen.
“And so I knew I was kind of being looked at. It was extremely stressful to take my computer, take my phone. They took all the emails off my computer. They wanted to download my phone, and I understood, and I was willing to work with them and I wanted to help them. I put as much timeline down as possible. … As much as I could help them, I was helping them. You know, they were doing their job. There was points when they weren’t nice, especially at the scene.”
In the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department search warrant affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, Kesler and maintenance worker Roland Lowe Begay were identified as the two individuals who found Gene and Betsy’s bodies in their home. Kesler, who worked for the couple for 16 years, made the harrowing 911 call.
A bathtub was unusable and filled with boxes and other materials. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department)
“I knew I was kind of being looked at. It was extremely stressful to take my computer, take my phone. They took all the emails off my computer.”
Gene died due to hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease, with Alzheimer’s disease 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.
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Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa Hackman were married for more than 30 years. (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Kesler was disappointed he didn’t have a chance to pay his respects and had only found out about their funeral through the media.
“It was hurtful just because, you know, I really cared for these people and I wanted to say my goodbyes and looked forward to some closure,” Kesler said. “There was a lot of us that were very close to them and loved them, and I think we should have had our chance to say our goodbyes and have some closure,” Kesler said.
WATCH: GENE HACKMAN’S CONTRACTOR HAS FOND MEMORIES OF THE COUPLE
To find some form of relief from the tragic situation, Kesler plans to write a book and share his fond memories of the Hackmans.
“I just want people to know how good of people they were,” Kesler insisted. “There’s a lot … there was so much being said, tunnels under the house, stuff like that … people need to know. They need to know the truth. There was nothing like that. They just need to have the facts.
“But also, I would like to share stories. I have so many stories, and I mean, right down to even my kids have stories of Gene and Betsy … the stories alone that I have over those 16 years are good stories. They’re all positive.”
“I would like to share stories. I have so many stories, and I mean, right down to even my kids have stories of Gene and Betsy.”
He added, “I was so fortunate to work for them. I was just … and when we lost them, I was devastated because, I mean, it was a dream to work for them, it really was.”
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