ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – A couple that once served Abilene was found dead in a rural area near Tucumcari, New Mexico. Charles ‘Gary’ and Linda Lightfoot left a gathering on Thanksgiving Day in Panhandle, Texas, to travel back to their home in Lubbock. After no one had heard from them, they were deemed missing, and a silver alert was issued throughout the state. A four-day search led to emergency responders finding their bodies.
Panhandle Police Chief gives latest update on missing Lubbock couple
Gary served in the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office as a captain in the 1980s and 90s. As the news broke about the tragic end to the search for him and his wife, those who knew him closely, like Chief Deputy Craig Griffis, whose dad and he served under Lightfoot’s authority, said he reminisced on the impact he had on his life.
“He’s helped make me the officer I am today, and he passed on his experiences to me, and I’ve been able to pass on that experience he gave to me to other officers. So, even after we’re long gone, the memory of Gary will always reside in these halls and in the minds of the officers that came after him,” Griffis said. “He mentored me during my career, taught me how to shoot better, gave me some good skills to know as a peace officer, and genuinely helped all of the officers that were under his command.”
For anyone who crossed paths with Gary, you would know he was straightforward, commanded respect, and would gladly share one story about surviving a helicopter crash after a mechanical issue during an officer assignment.
Panhandle Police Chief gives latest update on missing Lubbock couple
Brad Birchum, the Taylor County Commissioner for Precinct 3, worked under Lightfoot when he was a captain in 1969. He stated that the biggest lesson he learned from Gary was how to lead.
“I always wanted to emulate people like Captain Lightfoot… I just tried to emulate them in how they treated us because they were good to us. They treated us with respect. They were respected by the public for what they did. That’s just what carries over: is the respect they brought to the badge,” Birchum said.
Gary and Linda were married for 62 years, by each other’s side to the very end…