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.
What a tragedy, such a dynamic couple.
Jessica posted on Facebook the day of the procedure a beautiful photo with Gordon sharing a drink in a Puerto Vallarta restaurant. 2:31pm time stamp (not clear if that is local time).
Just two days prior she was hosting a charity gala in Houston.
May Gordon and her family be given the privacy and space they need in this difficult time.
Bethune probably knows what happened and had her body cremated to hide the evidence. Perhaps it wasn’t he who was directly involved, but he likely knew someone at that medical facility, and something happened during the procedure that he knew about and the rest of us never will. Cremating the body would have hidden any trace of foul play on the victim. The doctor likely needed protecting after the procedure and could have been a friend of Bethune’s. That the hospital did not call Bethune right after Jessica’s death is absurd and leads one to believe the circumstance was planned. Conversely, Bethune could have been threatened to do the cremation to hide the cause of death or risk consequences himself. Either way, there’s a lot that’s wrong about how everything was handled.
@Tipster – You’ve obviously read Skin Tight.
@Tipster @Christian — Excellent references. This story really is stranger than fiction. Grotesque. Having lived in FL, I couldn’t help but think of Hiaasen’s works, too.
At least they supposedly have her remains, unlike the thousands of Mexican citizens who have ‘disappeared’ without a trace in that failed narco-country….
Now I’d be curious if those cremated remains were actually the subject’s, given the endemic corruption there ….Wonder if it’s possible to do DNA analysis on cremains ?
@1990 – Florida native here so I grew up on the stuff. Tourist Season still makes me laugh.
Favorite book?
Routing cosmetic procedure. Love the journalism here.
Somebody call Quincy.
From msn: [Bethune, who has Parkinson’s disease, returned to Houston the day after Jessica Rossman’s death because he was alone, in shock and did not speak Spanish. He also could not assist with the arrangements of her body, his lawyer said in court records. Bethune also hired an attorney in Mexico to ensure the handling of her body was in compliance with local laws.
Lucho Rossman said he was alerted about his sister’s death on April 2. Days later, he texted Bethune that he was “very much aligned” with his goal to cremate Jessica Rossman and have her remains returned to Bethune in Houston, according to screenshots of text messages shown in Bethune’s court filing.
Bethune also provided screenshots of additional communications between the two men, claiming Lucho Rossman texted Bethune on April 11 that he may want his sister’s body returned to the U.S., where a second autopsy could be performed.
Rossman on Thursday confirmed he sent the texts, and said he changed his mind after learning that the details surrounding his sister’s death weren’t clear.
Through his lawyer, Bethune also criticized Lucho Rossman for traveling to Paris with his family on April 12 and for failing to handle the disposition of his sister’s body.
Lucho Rossman said he was in contact with the U.S. State Department and Consulate in Mexico during the Paris trip to retrieve his sister’s body for an American autopsy.
Bethune submitted a letter to Mexican officials on April 14, claiming he was in touch with Lucho Rossman, who wanted to move forward with the cremation and that Bethune could “undertake the corresponding responsibility therefor.” In the letter, Bethune said he authorized the cremation.
Roel Guerra, Jessica Rossman’s close friend of more than 40 years and who is named in her will, flew to Puerto Vallarta on April 15 to assist with the cremation and arrangements because he is fluent in Spanish, Bethune’s lawyer said in court documents.
Lucho Rossman had texted Guerra on the night of April 4, according to court records, and told him Jessica Rossman’s death may have involved foul play and asked him not to enter her condo as it could be considered a crime scene. He also told him that he is Jessica Rossman’s legal next of kin and asked Guerra to call him, records claim.
Bethune’s lawyer said that due to Lucho Rossman’s failure to handle his sister’s disposition, Guerra worked with a Mexican lawyer and government official to have Jessica Rossman’s body cremated on April 23 following an autopsy by Mexican authorities, according to court records. Her ashes were delivered to Bethune in Houston on April 25 by Guerra, Bethune states in court records.]
Does Bethune have some unlimited United airline travel privileges that are inheritable by a spouse/cohabiting partner?
Thank you, @Gary for a great article. I really enjoyed reading it. When I started flying with Continental, Gordon Bethune was no longer CEO. However, the employees seemed to like him a lot.
The aging trophy wife is dead! Long live the new younger trophy wife!
Does seem a bit suspicious. Woman dies out of the country and then body is cremated before it can be examined by family? Hmmm. I say this as a long term employee and fan of Gordon, who did indeed take control and Continental and took us “From Worst to First”. Thanks Gordon and sincere sympathies.
Another bad story out of Mexico. I have been all over Mexico with Continental and United, and vacationed in Puerto Vallarta myself, loved the place! However, we were cautioned about leaving the hotel property. There are plenty of bad guys in the area
Why does this sound familiar?
I’ve been doing the PD-5 treatment from uineheath centre . c om for about 5 months. it doesn’t seem like I’m getting any better, but overall I actually have. My husband says it’s has done me a lot of good in terms of balance and ability to walk and get up from chairs. I can now write without my hands shaking. I feel better now than I have felt in years, and I can feel my strength again.
I worked closely with Jessica at Continental, and occasionally with Gordon. They were both friends. Jessica’s father was also a college professor of mine. I remember the day Jessica came into my office some 17-plus years ago and told me Gordon asked her out for the first time. Jessica was successful on her own and was destined to live a wonderful life no matter what. She was smart, kind, and a joy to be around. Her relationship with Gordon made her life all that more fabulous, and Gordon thought she hung the moon. I’ll miss Jessica, but I feel privileged to have been a part of her life.