An elderly couple was found dead hundreds of miles from home — in rural New Mexico —this week after leaving a Thanksgiving celebration in Texas.
Charles Lightfoot, 82, and Linda Lightfoot, 81, of Lubbock, Texas, were found dead Tuesday morning near a ranch west of Tucumcari, New Mexico, according to the Quay County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators believe the couple died of hypothermia, ABC 7 reports.
The couple was found after a local resident spotted their car, Panhandle Police Chief Sace Hardman told The Independent.
The Lightfoots went missing after attending a Thanksgiving celebration in Panhandle, Texas, about two hours’ drive north of Lubbock, which they left around 3 p.m. on Thursday, according to KLBK News. When the Lightfoots didn’t arrive home, their relatives in Panhandle contacted the police, Hardman said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a Silver Alert after the couple was reported missing. Their silver Toyota was last spotted in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, on Friday, the alert said.
It's unclear how the couple ended up in New Mexico — Tucumcari is about a two-hour drive west of Panhandle and about three hours northwest of Panhandle.
Charles was “oxygen dependent,” which led the Carson County Sheriff's Office to determine that the couple’s disappearance posed “a credible threat to their health and safety,” ABC 7 reports.
Officers used license plate readers and the car’s GPS to search for the couple, and the New Mexico State Police assisted with helicopters and drones, according to KLBK News. The couple did not own cell phones, which further complicated the search, ABC 7 reports.
Charles was a former police officer and served as the police chief of Littlefield, Texas, from 1993 to 2003, according to KLBK News. He also worked for several other agencies, including the Lamb County Sheriff’s Office and Taylor County Sheriff’s Office.
“The investigation is ongoing. Further details will be released as they become available,” the Quay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement released Tuesday.
“The Quay County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the Lightfoot family and their loved ones during this difficult time.”
The Independent has contacted the Quay County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
