The bodies of an elderly Texas couple, Gary and Linda Lightfoot, reported missing since Thanksgiving, were discovered on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, in a rural area of New Mexico, in a pasture near a ranch west of Tucumcari in Quay County, according to officials.
As Texas outlet KFDA reports, Panhandle Police Chief Sace Hardman said the Lightfoots’ family had told investigators the couple struggled to locate Panhandle, Texas, on their way to Thanksgiving dinner, suggesting they may have been disoriented on the drive home, potentially contributing to their ending up hundreds of miles off course.
However, authorities have not issued any official statement confirming that confusion played a role in the couple’s disappearance.
What happened to Gary and Linda Lightfoot?
Panhandle, Texas, is roughly 150 miles from where the couple lived in Lubbock, Texas, but when the Lightfoots left Thanksgiving dinner in Panhandle, they never arrived. The couple was first reported missing on November 28, 2025, after they failed to return home following the holiday gathering.
Law enforcement issued a “Silver Alert,” a public notification system used in the United States to help locate missing older adults, typically seniors with Alzheimer’s, dementia, cognitive impairments, or other medical conditions that put them at risk.
Amid the search, their silver 2024 Toyota Camry was later detected by license-plate readers in Groom, Texas, and then near San Jon, New Mexico, hundreds of miles from their intended destination.
Because neither Linda nor Gary carried any traceable device such as a cell phone, and because Gary relied on supplemental oxygen, authorities said their disappearance “posed a credible threat to their health and safety.” Reports said Gary’s oxygen would only last him about a day.
Over the last several days, a multi-agency search operation — involving Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), New Mexico State Police, the Carson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Panhandle Police Department — deployed helicopters, drones, patrol teams, and license-plate tracking in a desperate bid to locate the couple or their vehicle.
The tragic discovery
Tuesday morning, December 2, 2025, a local rancher west of Tucumcari spotted their car, abandoned in a tree line at the edge of a pasture. Deputies responding to the call found both Linda and Gary deceased at the scene.
No foul play is suspected. Initial comments from the Quay County Sheriff’s Office indicate the couple likely died from exposure in freezing conditions, though autopsies are pending to confirm the cause of death. Authorities say the Silver Alert has been discontinued, and they have extended their deepest condolences to the Lightfoot family and loved ones.
