PANHANDLE, Texas — A missing elderly couple was found dead four days after a trip to Panhandle for Thanksgiving.
According to Carson County Sheriff Tam Terry, the bodies of Charles “Gary” Lightfoot, 82, and Linda Eppers Lightfoot, 81, were found Tuesday in a pasture outside Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Law enforcement believes they died from hypothermia.
The couple was visiting friends for the holiday. They left Panhandle on Friday afternoon, headed to Lubbock, but never made it home.
The Lightfoots were reported missing to the Panhandle Police Department. A Silver Alert was then issued by DPS.
Terry told ABC 7 News the couple’s Toyota Camry was spotted by license plate readers in Groom, Texas, and San Jon, New Mexico. The car also pinged a cell tower in Tucumcari.
New Mexico State Police said it used a helicopter to search for the couple. The Quay County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 7 News they had drones up Friday and Saturday. Deputies also patrolled every street they could by car.
Charles Lightfoot was “oxygen dependent,” so the Carson County Sheriff’s Office believed the couple’s disappearance “(posed) a credible threat to their health and safety.”
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According to DPS, neither of them had a cell phone which made the search even harder.