Linda Lightfoot, 81, and Charles “Gary” Lightfoot, 82, left a Thanksgiving gathering in the Panhandle last week but never made it home to Lubbock, Texas DPS said.

QUAY, N.M. — The family of a couple who disappeared on their way home from the Texas Panhandle last week got heartbreaking news on Tuesday.

The bodies of Linda Lightfoot, 81, and Charles “Gary” Lightfoot, 82, were found inside their vehicle in a rural area near Quay, New Mexico, not far from Tucumcari, according to the Carson County Sheriff’s Office. The inoperable car was found in a pasture.

Law enforcement said they have died from hypothermia, Everything Lubbock and other news outlets reported. Autopsies will be done, but no foul play is suspected.

Family members reported the couple missing on Friday after they never made it home to Lubbock from a Thanksgiving gathering in the Texas Panhandle. They said neither had a cell phone. 

A Silver Alert was issued on Friday with photos of the Lightfoots and an image of a silver Toyota similar to the one they were driving. 

When the vehicle was spotted by license plate readers near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, law enforcement there joined the Texas Department of Public Safety and other Texas agencies in the search. New Mexico State Police assisted with helicopters and drones.

“We would like to thank the public and all agencies involved. We would also like to offer condolences to the family and friends of the Lightfoots, as this is a tragic event,” CCSO said on social media.

Gary Lightfoot was a retired law enforcement officer who had served as Littlefield Police Chief from 1993 to 2003 and later as a sheriff in multiple West Texas counties. 

The couple had been married for more than 50 years. 


ACTIVE SILVER ALERT for Charles Gary Lightfoot and Linda Lightfoot who reside in Lubbock, TX but last known sighting in Santa Rosa, NM on 11/28/2025, TX plate TWN0925 pic.twitter.com/7ouk49oOrj

— Texas Alerts (@TX_Alerts) November 29, 2025

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