An 82-year-old Lubbock man who relies on supplemental oxygen and his 81-year-old wife have been missing since leaving a Thanksgiving gathering in Panhandle, Texas. Now, investigators say a license-plate reader picked up their silver 2024 Toyota Camry hundreds of miles off course in eastern New Mexico.
According to officials, Gary and Linda Lightfoot left a Thanksgiving gathering in Panhandle around 3 p.m. on November 27, 2025, bound for their home in Lubbock — a trip of roughly 150 miles — but they never arrived. Texas officials issued a formal alert Sunday.
According to the alert, Linda and Gary don’t have cellphones or other “traceable instruments.” The release added that the couple’s disappearance “poses a credible threat to their health and safety as Gary Lightfoot is oxygen dependent.”
The New Mexico sighting
According to Texas news outlet KFDA, license-plate reader data shows the Camry passed through Groom, Texas, on Thanksgiving evening, and was later logged near San Jon, New Mexico, around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 28, heading away from Lubbock. Investigators say they were unable to locate the vehicle after the confirmed sighting.
A Curry County Crimestoppers Facebook post says, “the Santa Rosa lead came from somebody reporting that they saw this car on the side of the road on Highway 84 facing Santa Rosa,” adding law enforcement checked the area but found nothing.
There have been no confirmed sightings since then. How or why the Lightfoots ended up so far off course remains unexplained.
Law-enforcement agencies — including the COSO, the Panhandle Police Department, the Texas Rangers, and the New Mexico State Police — have mobilized a coordinated search involving helicopters and drones in rural stretches of eastern New Mexico near the I-40 corridor. Investigators are canvassing rest areas, back roads, and any possible crash sites.
Lightfoot family: “Time is critical”
Family members and friends have shared photos and pleas on social media pages, urging the public to spread the word. In a widely circulated post, one relative urged: “Please continue to share. Family needs help getting the word out to as many people as possible. Time is critical.”
No evidence has surfaced implicating foul play. Investigators stress that the main concern is the medical risk: without his oxygen equipment, Gary’s health could deteriorate quickly. Authorities ask anyone who spots a silver 2024 Toyota Camry with Texas license plate TWN0925 — especially in or around New Mexico — to call the Carson County Sheriff’s Office at 806-537-3511, or dial 911.
Published: Dec 2, 2025 04:44 pm