The contractor who found Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s decomposing bodies last month described the day he made the chilling discovery as “one of the worst” in his life. 

Jesse Kesler, 52, who worked as Hackman’s contractor and handyman for 16 years, was one of the two workers who discovered the couple and one of their beloved pups dead on Feb. 26 — and has spent the last few weeks agonizing over whether he could have saved them.

“I wish I’d gone in quicker … I might have been able to save Gene or the dog,” Kessler told the DailyMail.

“To be honest, it was awful. It was one of the worst days of my life, and I’ve had some bad days. To see someone like that …,” he said, his voice breaking.

“I was hoping for a better outcome, that maybe they were out of town and they just didn’t tell anyone, or they got locked in the wine cellar by accident.”

Arakawa, 65, was dead for about a week before Hackman, 95, authorities revealed last week.

The deaths were shocking to Kesler, who did not know Hackman was battling dementia, and who had seen the “Enemy of the State” actor driving on his own just three months earlier.

The personal contractor — who “did everything’ for the couple” I — kept near-constant email communication with Hackman and Arakawa, even talking with the pianist just days before her suspected death.

Kesler grew concerned when the line suddenly went dead. He initially assumed the couple were unhappy with his services and had decided to cut him loose, until he spoke with other workers who were wondering the same thing.

“It was probably in the last three days where I decided, okay, something’s wrong, and we started the process to determine what the hell was going on,” Kesler recalled.

“It wasn’t like we were just up there and just stumbled across it,” he said of the gruesome scene. 

It would take another two weeks before Kesler walked through the doors, however. He tried to gain access legally by contacting law enforcement and tracking down family members, both of which failed to gain any traction.

Ultimately, Kesler decided the situation was too dire not to act.

“I just couldn’t wait anymore. I just said, ‘the heck with it, I’m going in,'” Kesler said.

Kesler didn’t end up walking into Hackman’s Santa Fe mansion — he and security guard Roland Lowe Begay saw Arakawa’s dead body lying on the bathroom floor through a window.

“It was very obvious she was gone,” Kelser continued. “I was hysterical. I pretty much lost it.”

Police arrived at the scene and discovered Hackman dead in the home’s mud room. The couple’s dog, Zinna, was also dead — in a crate near Arakawa.

Officers first suspected that a carbon monoxide leak led to the tragedy, but Kesler was adamant that it was impossible: “It’s not carbon monoxide, we know this house.”

Kesler felt that the couple might have suffered an accidental food poisoning — and even felt that police were eyeing him and other workers as potential suspects, though they were never officially named as such.

Kesler was ultimately vindicated — autopsy reports revealed that Arakawa died from Hantavirus, a rare flu-like disease linked to rats, likely on Feb. 11. Hackman died a week later from complications of heart problems and advanced Alzheimer’s disease. The pooch, trapped in the cage, likely died from dehydration and starvation.

The causes of death shocked Kesler.

As a handyman, Kesler has had experience with Hantavirus, but was shocked it was in the couple’s home.

“I never, never had that cross my mind,” he said about Arakawa’s death.

Kesler was unaware Hackman was grappling with cognitive decline, noting that the last time he had seen him, he appeared healthy.

“It was just 12 weeks ago,” he said. “That was the last time I saw him, and he was driving, and he waved at me. He knew who I was.”

Kelser was mentally preparing for Hackman’s death — “The Royal Tenenbaums” actor celebrated his 95th birthday in January — but said losing the pair simultaneously was gut-wrenching.

“It’s just such a tragic story. I never thought I would be dealing with this and I just never thought we’d lose them both. I thought Gene could live to be 100 years old, but I was kind of preparing myself for that. But never her,” said Kesler.

“I just want people to know that they were good people and I think we should focus on who they were, what they did for the community.”