Greg Lightfoot says his parents, Linda, 81, and Gary, 82, left a Thanksgiving gathering in Panhandle on Nov. 27 and did not return to their Lubbock home. Their vehicle and bodies were discovered Dec. 2 in a tree line on a ranch in Quay County, New Mexico; they were found beside an open trunk. License-plate readers and a traffic stop in Santa Rosa indicate the couple became disoriented and crossed into New Mexico. An autopsy is pending, and authorities believe exposure may have been a factor.
Son Recounts Final Hours of Elderly Couple Found Dead Near Open Trunk After Thanksgiving Trip
Barbara SchellerGary and Linda Lightfoot
Greg Lightfoot expected his parents, Linda, 81, and Gary, 82, to return to their Lubbock, Texas, home on Nov. 27 after they drove to Panhandle earlier that day for Thanksgiving. When night fell and the couple did not arrive, Greg contacted relatives and asked them to report the pair missing because the Lightfoots were without working cell phones.
Five days later, on Dec. 2, the Quay County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico announced that deputies had located an inoperable vehicle and two deceased individuals on a ranch west of Tucumcari. The vehicle was found in a tree line at the end of a pasture and was later confirmed to belong to Linda and Gary Lightfoot.
Barbara SchellerGary Lightfoot
Timeline and Investigation Details
According to Greg, license-plate reader data and witness reports show a confusing route after the couple left Panhandle around 3 p.m. The car first registered in Groom, Texas — about 20 miles east of Panhandle — around 7 p.m. A later hit and a brief traffic stop in Santa Rosa, N.M., occurred after Linda reportedly drifted out of her lane. Officers told the couple they were lost and provided directions, but the car did not appear to follow them consistently.
Automated readers logged the vehicle again around 2 a.m., and the couple was last seen about noon at a Love’s Travel Stop in Tucumcari. Despite Silver Alert notifications and searches across New Mexico and Texas, no sign of the couple emerged until a rancher called the Quay County sheriff on Dec. 2 to report a car matching their description.
Texas Department of Public SafetyLinda Lightfoot and Gary Lightfoot
Discovery and Family Account
Greg says deputies found the couple next to an open trunk; the vehicle had 'blown through a gate and a cattle deterrent and then ended up in some trees.' He believes tree cover and holiday activity helped conceal the site from earlier searches, including drone sweeps. Greg also suspects his mother may have suffered a medical episode while driving, and the family believes the couple either became lost or overwhelmed while trying to return to Lubbock.
'It was certainly a shock and unexpected,' Greg, 53, said. 'We’re handling it one day at a time, basically. We're just trying to get through it as best we can.'
An autopsy has not been released. Greg said the family believes exposure (hypothermia) may have been the cause, and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator has confirmed it has the Lightfoots' remains; autopsy reports typically take two to three months.
Barbara SchellerLinda and Gary Lightfoot
Remembering Linda and Gary
Gary, a military veteran who spent many years in law enforcement, and Linda, a former banker, were married for 62 years. Greg described them as personable people who liked to travel and help others. The family has launched a GoFundMe to assist with funeral costs, and a memorial service is scheduled at Southside Church of Christ in Lubbock on Friday, Dec. 19.
The Quay County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation and has said it is believed the couple became lost after leaving Panhandle. No preliminary cause of death has been released pending the medical examiner’s report.
