Son held in custody after missing US woman’s body found in Yucatán

The assemblage of 71-year-old Linda Louise Johnston was recovered successful a vacant batch successful Chicxulub Puerto, Yucatán, connected Tuesday aft she was reported missing connected April 17.

According to the authorities Attorney General’s Office (FGE), Johnston’s son, Damon Anthony Martínez, has been arrested connected suspicion of homicide.

Localizan misdeed vida a Linda Louise Johnston, estadounidense desaparecida en Yucatán.https://t.co/58CW97d6xt pic.twitter.com/WywMQwdmnc

— El Heraldo de México (@heraldodemexico) April 23, 2025

Johnston, a United States national and erstwhile Air Force subordinate who lived successful the Mexican coastal municipality of Progreso, was reported missing by a neighbour and person who called 911 connected Thursday.

The caller reportedly told constabulary that a fewer days earlier, Johnston had been beaten by her son, Damon Anthony Martínez, who had antecedently been imprisoned successful the U.S. 

Responding to the call, the Yucatán Attorney General’s Office (FGE) published an Alba alert, akin to an Amber alert, but utilized exclusively successful cases of missing women, girls and different susceptible members of the population. The FGE besides launched a hunt cognition utilizing drones, helicopters and canine teams to find the missing woman.

The FGE confirmed the find of Johnston’s remains connected Tuesday. The assemblage was recovered dismembered successful 3 achromatic sacks successful a batch 3 blocks from her home. 

Members of the state’s investigative constabulary unit and forensic aesculapian work cordoned disconnected the country to behaviour a afloat probe and transport the remains to the morgue.  

After Johnston’s lad Damon was arrested by members of the FGE connected suspicion of homicide, the fishy reportedly confessed to the transgression during the constabulary interrogation, according to an unconfirmed study published by the paper El Financiero. 

On the nighttime of the transgression (April 16), Martínez reportedly requested a taxi utilizing a ride-hailing app but the operator refused to judge him with ample garbage bags.

Another quality report, however, maintains that a taxi driver, named Ana “N,” had transported Martínez connected April 16 astatine astir 11 p.m. with 3 achromatic bags and a backpack. 

Local authorities did not supply immoderate further accusation connected the lawsuit arsenic the probe is ongoing. 

With reports from El Financiero, El Universal and Proceso