Ex-Braniff and Boeing executive Gordon Bethune became famous in aviation for turning around Continental Airlines. He’s now 83 years old and suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Bethune recently traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with his partner Jessica Rossman, a Houston attorney and former Continental and United Airlines executive who is 27 years his junior. She did not come back, passing away suddenly on March 31 after undergoing a routing cosmetic procedure.
Puerto Vallarta
Rossman had an appointment at the Dr. Carlos Diaz Health & Beauty clinic, which specializes in Botox, fillers, microneedling, and simiar procedures. She never returned from her appointment. Bethune reported her missing when she did not return to their residence, a condo which Rossman owned. Mexican authorities located her body at a morgue.
Her cause of death is officially listed as a rare heart condition: pulmonary edema and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Her brother, a doctor based on Long Island, says this is not possible – that he has examined her and she was in good health and without known heart issues. He objected to cremation in Mexico, arguing to have her body sent back to the U.S. for autopsy. He says he suspects foul play.
Nonetheless, Bethune reportedly had her cremated on April 23, despite a legal action by the brother arguing he lacked the authority to do so. Rossman’s death certificate describes her as being common law married to Bethune (though her brother contests this). Her remains were delivered to Bethune in Houston on April 25.
Rossman’s obituary refers to Bethune as “the love of her life.” She spent 21 years at United Airlines and Continental Airlines as senior managing director and managing counsel for international affairs with responsibility for Mexico, Central and South America, Caribbean and Canadian operations and has been referred to as a marketing executive there as well.
In the local Houston area she was known for her involvement in philanthropy, as Chair of the AIDS Foundation, and on the boards of Planned Parenthood and Kids’ Meals in Houston. She supported numerous LGBTQ initiatives and was awarded the local ABC television affiliate’s Women of Distinction and was included in the Houston Chronicle’s Best Dressed list. The Houston Business Journal named her to its list of best corporate counsel.
Rossman’s family and legal representatives still seek clarity regarding specific details of the procedure performed at the Diaz clinic, whether any sedatives or anesthetics such as fentanyl or midazolam were administered, and why emergency medical assistance was apparently not sought immediately following her medical crisis. Her memorial is being held today.
Crazy story.
If the story is as told here, it stinks to high heaven.
Can’t wait to hear the follow-up on this story. Holy moly.
Sadly Carl Hiaasen novel-esque.
I get why people will have medical procedures done in Mexico because they can be much cheaper than in the US.
But it appears that this person had plenty of money and could have had the procedure performed in the US. She is clearly no dummy, so why would she get the work done in Mexico? Was she getting a procedure that was not allowed in the US?
Only stupid people go to Mexico or Costa Rica for cosmetic surgery and related procedures. They may be smart in other ways but very stupid in making medical decisions.
Not to mention someone that can afford to travel to Mexico for cosmetic work has a big sign on them saying “rob me.” Mexico is a very dangerous place and their President seems to want to keep it that way. Sad.
The cremation I gas just bizarre.
wow. Just wow.
You gotta think the family is talking to lawyers and the State Dept. to figure this whole mess out as well as private investigators to determine any reasons Gordon might have had to want her not to come back from her procedure.
Do keep us updated….
If you had asked me, I would have said Gordon was the one who had been dead for years. Every time CO did something stupid with OnePass, his smiling face was always there to explain the improvement.
An awful lot of the risk in medical stuff is the low probability things going wrong–it’s just there are so many low probability things that can go wrong. And third world medical systems have nowhere near the level of ability to deal with such things. And given the cremation I suspect that whatever went wrong was something they should have been able to deal with.
I can believe a story like this. There are good doctors in Mexico but the investigations of deaths may not be to the level relatives would like. With the remains cremated I doubt that any inquiry will give a lot more truthful detail of the death. The failure to notify next of kin is a problem.