The family of a glamorous Houston socialite are pleading for answers after she died suddenly following a ‘routine’ cosmetic procedure in Mexico, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
Jessica Rossman, a retired attorney and former United Airlines executive, visited a dermatology clinic last week specializing in Botox, fillers and ‘anti-aging’ microneedling treatments, according to loved ones.
The 56-year-old was reported missing by her longtime partner when she didn’t return to her vacation home in the Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta.
Days later, her brother Lucho Rossman received the devastating news that ‘beautiful, vivacious’ Jessica had eventually been located – in the city’s morgue.
He has spent the past week struggling to piece together his sister’s final moments from snippets of information from tight-lipped Mexican officials.
‘Our heads are spinning and we are suspicious, very suspicious, about a lot of things,’ Lucho, 55, told DailyMail.com.
‘Jessica walked into a dermatology clinic and ended up in a morgue. We need to know what happened.’
Lucho, a doctor and diagnostic radiology specialist, is convinced that his sibling’s April 1 death was caused by some sort of catastrophic health episode.
But exactly what happened to her remains shrouded in mystery.
Jessica was vacationing in Puerto Vallarta – one of her regular haunts – with longtime partner Gordon Bethune, the former CEO of Continental Airlines and an occasional CNBC contributor.
Friends say she scheduled an appointment at the Dr. Carlos Diaz Health & Beauty clinic, which offers an assortment of age-defying treatments to ‘smooth wrinkles, revitalize your skin, or sculpt your figure’.
She didn’t return home afterwards, prompting Bethune – who is 83 and battling Parkinson’s disease – to contact the US consulate for assistance.
A day later he rang Lucho at his home in Long Island, New York to report that Jessica was dead and her body was in a morgue at the city’s Forensic Science Institute.
Shell-shocked Lucho called the clinic in search of answers and says he got confirmation from a receptionist that his sister had gone in for an unspecified procedure.
He asked whether Jessica had been given fentanyl, midazolam, or any other form of anesthetic but says the staffer wouldn’t discuss it.
‘She has had outpatient-type skin procedures, I think, frequently. And this was just another one of those. Something routine, something simple,’ said Lucho, a married father-of-three.
‘My impression is that it wasn’t the sort of thing that would be done with a so-called general anesthetic but I don’t know.’
When DailyMail.com reached out to Dr. Diaz’s clinic this week our calls and WhatsApp messages were ignored.
The facility touts its particular expertise with the Morpheus8 machine, which uses tiny needles and radio frequencies to target wrinkles and sagging skin.
Its Instagram page also promotes special offers on Botox and non-surgical penis enlargements discounted for Pride month.
‘At Dr. Carlos Díaz Health & Beauty, we don’t just offer aesthetic treatments; we provide transformative experiences,’ the clinic’s website states.
‘We take pride in creating a welcoming and professional environment where each visit is an opportunity to rejuvenate, revitalize, and enhance your natural beauty.’
An official from the Forensic Science Institute told DailyMail.com that Jessica’s body was collected on April 1 from a clinic rather than a hospital.
He declined to give the name or location of the clinic.
The official said tests were underway to determine the cause of Jessica’s death but he referred all other inquiries to the Fiscalia del Estado, the state attorney general’s office, and the US Consulate, neither of which responded to our inquiries.
‘If there is a potential danger that problem needs to be addressed openly so people can be careful,’ urged Lucho.
‘It’s not just personal, it’s also to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.’
Bethune is believed to have returned to the US in the wake of Jessica’s death but has not commented publicly.
He held leadership posts at Boeing, Branif, and Piedmont Airlines before taking the helm at Continental from 1994 to 2004, spearheading a dramatic turnaround in its fortunes.
Jessica was a senior attorney and marketing director for more than two decades at Continental which later became United Airlines after the carriers merged in 2010.
The UC Berkeley alum took early retirement but continued to volunteer for non-profits including Kids Meals and the AIDS Foundation Houston.
Lucho said plans for Jessica’s funeral are ‘in limbo’ because the body has not been released for repatriation.
Their mom Marcella, 88 – who lives with Lucho, his wife Jessica Sheets, 54, who is also a doctor, and their kids Reagan, 11, and eight-year-old twins Rhett and Rocio – is doing as ‘well as can be expected’ as they wait for answers.
‘Jessica’s personality was exceptional, maybe even over the top, you could say. She loved to have fun. She was well educated, accomplished and smart as a whip,’ Lucho said of his sister.
‘She had taken a very active, outgoing, early retirement because she was lucky enough to be in a position to do that.
‘She is – or was – my only sibling, it’s incredibly sad. This has been a huge shock for everyone.’
Lucho’s sentiments were echoed by stunned pals and former colleagues who flooded Jessica’s Facebook page with effusive tributes.
‘Jessica was beautifully complex—brilliant, sarcastic, compassionate, effortlessly funny, and fiercely loyal,’ wrote Kristi Hoss Schiller.
‘She made you feel like the most fascinating person in the room… right before outwitting you with a sideways grin and a perfectly timed zinger.’
Robert Falcon posted: ‘I’m at a total loss for words. One of my oldest childhood friends, classmates and neighbor.
‘You were a champion for those friends we lost too soon to AIDS/ HIV and brought light to every room you walked into.’
Romy Lauren, another heartbroken friend, added: ‘Your unexpected departure has left a deep, permanent and very painful impression on my heart that is slowly but surely filling up with the most joyful and precious memories.
‘I love you always and forever Jess.’