Missing Texas Couple Charles and Linda Lightfoot Found Deceased — Details
Charles Gary Lightfoot and his wife Linda Eppers Lightfoot celebrating their 60th anniversary, from a post dated July 19, 2023 | Source: Facebook/Charles Gary Lightfoot
A Sudden Disappearance
The couple had been visiting friends in Panhandle, Texas, for Thanksgiving on November 27. The following afternoon, around 3 p.m., they left town for their home in Lubbock, but they never made it.
Worried family members quickly contacted the Panhandle Police Department, and by November 30, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a Silver Alert, launching an exhaustive, all-hands-on-deck search.
Across the border, the New Mexico State Police deployed a helicopter, while the Quay County Sheriff’s Office launched drones over vast stretches of terrain.
Officers were sent out to canvass every road, alley, and back route because they were in a race against time. Gary was “oxygen dependent,” and the situation had become a “threat to their health and safety.”
Even more alarming: the couple had no cellphones with them, severely limiting efforts to track their location. And as the hours turned into days, hope began to fade… until a breakthrough finally came.
A Search Ends in the Worst Way Possible
On Tuesday, December 2, law enforcement finally located the couple’s Toyota Camry, thanks to license plate readers in Groom, Texas, and San Jon, New Mexico.
The car’s GPS system pinged a nearby cell tower just outside of Tucumcari, New Mexico, providing their last known movement.
Authorities descended on the area and made the grim discovery around 10:30 a.m. MT. The Camry had been found deep in a tree line, “high centered” with a dead battery, according to Quay County Sheriff Dennis Garcia.
Meanwhile, the elderly citizens were found in a nearby pasture, both sadly gone.