{"id":35922,"date":"2025-12-18T23:40:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T23:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=35922"},"modified":"2025-12-18T23:40:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T23:40:22","slug":"couple-who-vanished-after-thanksgiving-dinner-were-found-dead-near-open-trunk-son-says-revealing-more-about-their-final-hours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=35922","title":{"rendered":"Couple Who Vanished After Thanksgiving Dinner Were Found Dead Near Open Trunk, Son Says, Revealing More About Their Final Hours"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"article-subheading text-utility-300\">Greg Lightfoot speaks with PEOPLE about the disappearance of his parents, Linda and Gary Lightfoot, as well as what might have happened to them prior to their deaths<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-article-meta-dynamic_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-article-meta-dynamic mntl-article-meta mntl-block pre-content\" data-tracking-container=\"true\">\n<div id=\"bylines_1-0\" class=\"comp bylines people-bylines mntl-bylines text-utility-200\">\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Greg Lightfoot was expecting his elderly parents, Linda and Gary, to return home to Lubbock, Texas \u2014 where all three of them live \u2014 on Nov. 27. Earlier that day, the couple drove to Panhandle to spend Thanksgiving with other family members, a trip that normally takes about three hours.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_3-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_4-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">However, as it grew dark and his parents still hadn&#8217;t arrived, a concerned Greg phoned his relatives to ask if they knew what was going on.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_5-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_6-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cI called and asked how the day went,\u201d he tells PEOPLE, but says they didn&#8217;t remember anything out of the ordinary and said his parents seemed fine when then left.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_7-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block collapsed\">\n<div id=\"mm-ads-native-fluid_1-0\" class=\"comp mm-ads-native-fluid mm-ads-native \" data-right-rail-index=\"2\">\n<div id=\"mm-ads-native__adunit_1-0\" class=\"comp mm-ads-native__adunit mm-ads-gpt-dynamic-adunit mm-ads-gpt-adunit scads-to-load gpt native dynamic js-immediate-ad js-immediate-ad-loaded\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_8-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Since the couple didn&#8217;t have a phone on them \u2014 Greg says his dad, who was hard of hearing, had trouble with his phone, while he believes his mother just forgot to grab hers \u2014 he told their relatives\u00a0to report the couple as missing\u00a0to local police.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_10-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Five days later, their\u00a0bodies were found\u00a0in a rural area of Quay County, New Mexico, hours away from their home.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_11-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_12-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">The Quay County Sheriff\u2019s Office said that deputies were dispatched to a ranch west of Tucumcari on Dec. 2, after receiving a report of a possible sighting of the couple&#8217;s vehicle. When they arrived at the scene, they\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/quaycountysheriff\/posts\/pfbid02nsGcBECE5tREwco3hXj2PRdvMq7vesYKMGQHqn9U44mCnMWuE522FS5i3uPjNufJl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">found an inoperable vehicle<\/a>\u00a0parked in a tree line at the end of a pasture, which was later confirmed to belong to Linda, 81, and Gary, 82.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_13-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_14-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-portrait figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_1-0\" class=\"mntl-image mntl-image universal-image__image lazyloadwait lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/v6M6bCCymfk19N5K2nKf9M4N3Mg=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2):format(webp)\/Gary-Lightfoot-120425-4d72775b58d44be886ebc61339c67486.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 4000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/v6M6bCCymfk19N5K2nKf9M4N3Mg=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2):format(webp)\/Gary-Lightfoot-120425-4d72775b58d44be886ebc61339c67486.jpg 4000w\" alt=\"Couple 'Somehow Got Turned Around' After Leaving Thanksgiving, Were Found Dead Hours from Home: Family \" width=\"1333\" height=\"1851\" data-src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/v6M6bCCymfk19N5K2nKf9M4N3Mg=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2):format(webp)\/Gary-Lightfoot-120425-4d72775b58d44be886ebc61339c67486.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/v6M6bCCymfk19N5K2nKf9M4N3Mg=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2):format(webp)\/Gary-Lightfoot-120425-4d72775b58d44be886ebc61339c67486.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_15-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cTragically, both individuals were found deceased at the scene,\u201d the Quay County Sheriff\u2019s Office wrote in their statement at the time, noting that an investigation into their deaths remained ongoing.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_16-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_17-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cIt was certainly a shock and unexpected,\u201d Greg says of their deaths. \u201cWe\u2019re handling it one day at a time, basically. We&#8217;re just trying to get through it as best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_21-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">An only child, Greg, 53, did not go with his parents to Panhandle because he was sick the day before\u2014 but he says that his parents had made previous trips to and from Panhandle with no issues.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_22-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_23-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Although he&#8217;s yet to receive a preliminary report from police, he says the confusing path his parents took after leaving the Thanksgiving gathering around 3 p.m. local time was possibly complicated by construction, missed turns and a medical episode of some kind.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_24-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_25-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Greg says authorities told him that a license plate reader first got a hit for the couple&#8217;s car in Groom, which is only 20 miles east from Panhandle. However, that came in around 7 p.m., about an hour after they were expected to arrive home in Lubbock.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_26-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_27-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;My theory now is that they went to Amarillo after leaving Panhandle to get to I-27 to come back home,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_28-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_29-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Although he says his mother has no major health issues that he was aware of, he says he thinks that &#8220;something must have happened&#8221; to his mother while she was driving. (His father, he notes, doesn&#8217;t drive anymore.)<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_30-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_31-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if she was having mini-strokes or something on the way west toward Amarillo,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_32-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_33-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Either way, at some point, Greg believes &#8220;they either got lost or they got overwhelmed&#8221; and decided to turn around and go back to Panhandle \u2014 but they missed a turn and they eventually ended up in Groom instead.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_34-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_35-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">After realizing they had gone too far east, they likely turned around again to try and go back to Panhandle or Amarillo, but they &#8220;either got lost or overwhelmed&#8230;and kind of blew through,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_36-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_37-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">The next time a hit on their license plate come through, the couple had reached New Mexico.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_38-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_39-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-landscape figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_2-0\" class=\"mntl-image mntl-image universal-image__image lazyloadwait lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/M8ChRKzrZuRwO3_lavQFGMVtKVU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(728x312:730x314):format(webp)\/linda-gary-lightfoot-120225-1569fad21b594decba6f36e5a00f6958.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 4000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/M8ChRKzrZuRwO3_lavQFGMVtKVU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(728x312:730x314):format(webp)\/linda-gary-lightfoot-120225-1569fad21b594decba6f36e5a00f6958.jpg 4000w\" alt=\"L-R: Linda Lightfoot, Gary Lightfoot\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" data-src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/M8ChRKzrZuRwO3_lavQFGMVtKVU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(728x312:730x314):format(webp)\/linda-gary-lightfoot-120225-1569fad21b594decba6f36e5a00f6958.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/M8ChRKzrZuRwO3_lavQFGMVtKVU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(728x312:730x314):format(webp)\/linda-gary-lightfoot-120225-1569fad21b594decba6f36e5a00f6958.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_2-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-text\">Linda Lightfoot and Gary Lightfoot.<\/span>Texas Department of Public Safety<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_40-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Greg says a police officer actually pulled over his parents that night in New Mexico because Linda veered out of her lane.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_41-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_42-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cThey had told the officer that they were lost and they were trying to get back to Lubbock,\u201d Greg says. \u201cThe officer was a little mystified, I guess, as to why they had ended up where they were. But he gave them directions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_43-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_44-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">However, the officer \u2014 who had no idea they had been reported missing as a bulletin wouldn&#8217;t go out until the next day \u2014 said at a certain point they stopped following the directions he gave them.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_45-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_46-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;He didn&#8217;t pull them over a second time,&#8221; Greg says. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if he got a call or had something else going on.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_47-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_48-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_49-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_50-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Early the next morning, a license plate reader detected their car around 2 a.m., and his parents were last seen around noon at a Love&#8217;s Travel Stop in Tecumcari, N.M.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_51-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_52-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Although by that point they were still miles away from home, as Greg points out, they were &#8220;generally headed in the right direction back.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_53-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_54-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;If they had kept on going east, they would&#8217;ve at least made it back to Texas, either to Amarillo or to Panhandle,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_58-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Despite the fact that police put out a Silver Alert and searched for the couple throughout New Mexico and Texas, there was no sign of Linda and Gary over the weekend.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_59-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_60-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Then, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, Greg was on the phone with the Quay Count Sheriff when a rancher called about finding a car that matched the description of his parents&#8217; vehicle.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_61-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_62-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;The sheriff went out to check it out,\u201d Greg says, \u201cand sure enough it was their vehicle and they were found with the car.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_63-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_64-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Greg says his parents &#8220;blew through a gate and a cattle deterrent and then ended up in some trees,&#8221; which the rancher didn&#8217;t discover sooner because of the holidays \u2014 and despite using drones to search, police likely missed them due to the tree coverage.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_65-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_66-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Greg says his parents found together beside an open trunk, and there&#8217;s a theory that his mom passed away first, since she was found with a jacket over her face and torso.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_67-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_68-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">&#8220;We assumed my dad did that,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_69-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_70-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Although an autopsy report has not yet been released, Greg says it&#8217;s assumed that his parents froze to death.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_71-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_72-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">The New\u00a0Mexico\u00a0Office of the Medical Investigator has confirmed to PEOPLE that their office has the Lightfoots&#8217; remains, and that an autopsy report takes 2-3 months to finalize.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_73-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_74-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">When reached by PEOPLE, the Panhandle Police Department had no update to share, nor did the Quay County Sheriff&#8217;s Office, which is handling the investigation, although they did say it&#8217;s &#8220;believed the couple got lost after leaving Panhandle.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_75-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_76-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-landscape figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_3-0\" class=\"mntl-image mntl-image universal-image__image lazyloadwait lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2coQ6xxI_iQU4Y4Pw3u1kKp48LE=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/Linda-Gary-Lightfoot-120425-2-e4fe379f7f5e4ccdacc41e322d749642.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 4000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2coQ6xxI_iQU4Y4Pw3u1kKp48LE=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/Linda-Gary-Lightfoot-120425-2-e4fe379f7f5e4ccdacc41e322d749642.jpg 4000w\" alt=\"Couple 'Somehow Got Turned Around' After Leaving Thanksgiving, Were Found Dead Hours from Home: Family \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" data-src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2coQ6xxI_iQU4Y4Pw3u1kKp48LE=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/Linda-Gary-Lightfoot-120425-2-e4fe379f7f5e4ccdacc41e322d749642.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2coQ6xxI_iQU4Y4Pw3u1kKp48LE=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/Linda-Gary-Lightfoot-120425-2-e4fe379f7f5e4ccdacc41e322d749642.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_77-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Gary, who served in the military and spent many years in law enforcement, and Linda, who worked in banking, were married for 62 years before their deaths.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_78-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_79-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cMy parents were always interesting, fun people, very personable,\u201d\u00a0Greg says. \u201cThey liked to travel. They liked to help people out when they could, whether it was coworkers or friends or people they just met.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_80-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_81-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">The fact that his parents were able to visit their relatives in Panhandle for Thanksgiving was a \u201cmixed-blessing,&#8221; according to their son.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_82-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_83-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cIt was nice that they got to see everyone,\u201d he says, \u201cand have a good experience to sort of say goodbye, even though they didn&#8217;t realize that that was what was happening.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_84-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-adslot mntl-block\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_85-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Greg has established a\u00a0GoFundMe\u00a0to pay for funeral arrangements and final expenses. A memorial for the couple will take place at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@southsidechurchofchristlubbock\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">Southside Church of Christ<\/a>\u00a0in Lubbock on Friday, Dec. 19.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greg Lightfoot speaks with PEOPLE about the disappearance of his parents, Linda and Gary Lightfoot, as well as what might have happened to them prior to their deaths Greg Lightfoot was expecting his elderly parents, Linda and Gary, to return home to Lubbock, Texas \u2014 where all three of them live \u2014 on Nov. 27&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,17,11,20,24,15,12,25,22,18,16,21,14,23,13],"class_list":["post-35922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chronic-diseases","tag-fitness","tag-health-tips","tag-healthcare-technology","tag-healthy-lifestyle","tag-healthy-living","tag-medical-advice","tag-medical-awareness","tag-medical-research","tag-mental-health","tag-nutrition","tag-patient-care","tag-preventive-care","tag-public-health","tag-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - 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