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Charles and Linda Lightfoot: Elderly couple's bodies found; details emerge in Quay County missing case
Elderly Texas couple Charles and Linda Lightfoot, missing since Thanksgiving, were found dead near Tucumcari, NM; police suspect death from hypothermia.
The bodies of Charles and Linda Lightfoot, an elderly couple from Texas who went missing on Thanksgiving in Quay County, Mexico, were found on Tuesday, police confirmed. The Lightfoots, who were from Lubbock, Texas, were returning from a visit to friends in the Texas Panhandle when they went missing.
Charles "Gary" Lightfoot, 82, and Linda Lightfoot, 81, were found dead Tuesday near Tucumcari in New Mexico. Police believed that the couple, both of whom suffered from hypothermia and were dependent on oxygen, died from breathing disability.
However, as of now, a cause of death for Charles and Linda Lightfoot has not been revealed.
What Happened To Charles And Linda Lightfoot
After Charles and Linda Lightfoot went missing in New Mexico on Thanksgiving, a Silver Alert was issued for them in New Mexico and Texas. At the time, the Carson County Sheriff's Office had said that Charles Lightfoot was oxygen dependent and required external oxygen at all times to breathe. The issue posed a "credible threat to their health and safety," the Carson County Sheriff's Office had said.
Now, ABC7 in Amarillo, New Mexico, reported that police believe that they died due to hypothermia - a condition where condition that occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it.
The octogenarian couple was discovered near their Toyota Camry in a pasture ground near Tucumcari in rural New Mexico. The couple's car had also pinged the cell tower in Tucumcari, the police revealed.
The police in Quay County had deployed drones to conduct a search for the couple, the Sheriff's Department confirmed. All the streets they travelled through were also searched by a patrol car. The search effort eventually led to the body being found early Tuesday afternoon.
"We would like to thank the public and all agencies involved," the Carson County Sheriff's Office said. “We would also like to offer condolences to the family and friends of the Lightfoots as this is a tragic event.”
