Couple Found Dead Hours from Home After Thanksgiving ‘Somehow Got Turned Around’ on Their Drive: Family (Exclusive)
Linda and Gary Lightfoot’s relatives described the couple as “genuine and kind people” who left a “legacy of love and devotion”
A married couple in their 80s who were found dead after leaving a family Thanksgiving celebration in Texas somehow got lost during their drive home, their family believes, though further details about the tragedy are pending an investigation.
Linda and Gary Lightfoot were traveling back home to Lubbock, Texas, after celebrating Thanksgiving with their family in Panhandle, but were reported missing when they failed to return home. Five days later, their bodies were found in a rural area of Quay County, New Mexico according to the Carson County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office and the Quay County (New Mexico) Sheriff’s Office .
“We don’t have much additional information about what happened other than what law enforcement has shared,” Barbara Scheller, a relative, tells PEOPLE on Thursday, Dec. 4.
“They’ve driven the road to Panhandle many times,” Scheller adds. “Somehow they got turned around and lost. Left their cell phone at home.”
The Quay County Sheriff’s Office said that deputies were dispatched to a ranch west of Tucumcari, N.M., on Tuesday, Dec. 2, after receiving a report of a possible sighting of the Lightfoots’ vehicle.
When they arrived at the scene, they found an inoperable vehicle parked in a tree line at the end of a pasture, which was later confirmed to belong to Linda, 81, and Gary, 82.
“Tragically, both individuals were found deceased at the scene,” the Quay County Sheriff’s Office said in its statement, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
It takes approximately three hours to travel from Tucumcari to Lubbock.
In an email to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator confirms that the department has the couple’s remains, but that their autopsy reports — which will include their cause and manner of death — could take around 3 months to finalize.
TOP NEWS contacted the Carson County Sheriff’s Office and the Quay County Sheriff’s Office for additional information on the case but did not immediately receive a response.
Scheller, who tells PEOPLE that Linda is her husband’s aunt, also shared a statement on behalf of the family, who remembered the couple as “genuine and kind people” who leave behind a “legacy of love and devotion.”
Gary, a military veteran, served as an law enforcement officer for the Lamb County Sheriff’s Office, and later as Littlefield Police Chief from 1993 to 2003, according to the family.
“Gary was not only [a] highly regarded retired law enforcement officer, he was a self taught wood craftsman. He could do just about anything with a scroll saw,” the family’s tribute read. “He created wooden carved farm animals, crosses and anniversary carving for wedding anniversaries.”
Meanwhile, Linda worked in Abilene for an oil and gas company and then later in banking.
“Linda enjoyed giving cards and gifts for Easter, Christmas, birthdays and Valentines,” the family wrote, sharing that she had her fireplace “burning year round no matter the temperature outside” and “counted every blessing and every day as ‘fabulous.’ “
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Loved ones also said that Linda and Gary attended church and “showed great love to neighbors, friends and family.”
The couple is survived bytheir son, Gregg, Linda’s sister, Barbara, and Barbara’s husband, Waylon, as well as nieces and nephews. The family expressed their gratitude to authorities involved in the search — and emphasized the importance of “being prepared while traveling, even short distances, which may save lives in the future.”
“Although it was not the outcome we had hoped for, it is evident everything that could be done was done,” Linda and Gary’s family said. “The outpouring of love and support from so many people across Texas, NM and many other states encouraged us. Thank you for your love and prayers. We will cherish the memories we shared.”
