The body of 71-year-old Linda Louise Johnston was found in a vacant lot in Chicxulub Puerto, Yucatán, on Tuesday after she was reported missing on April 17.
According to the state Attorney General’s Office (FGE), Johnston’s son, Damon Anthony Martínez, has been arrested on suspicion of homicide.
Localizan sin 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 citizen and former Air Force member who lived in the Mexican coastal town of Progreso, was reported missing by a neighbor and friend who called 911 on Thursday.
The caller reportedly told police that a few days earlier, Johnston had been beaten by her son, Damon Anthony Martínez, who had previously been imprisoned in the U.S.
Responding to the call, the Yucatán Attorney General’s Office (FGE) published an Alba alert, similar to an Amber alert, but used exclusively in cases of missing women, girls and other vulnerable members of the population. The FGE also launched a search operation using drones, helicopters and canine teams to locate the missing woman.
The FGE confirmed the discovery of Johnston’s remains on Tuesday. The body was found dismembered in three black sacks in a lot three blocks from her home.
Members of the state’s investigative police force and forensic medical service cordoned off the area to conduct a full investigation and transport the remains to the morgue.
After Johnston’s son Damon was arrested by members of the FGE on suspicion of homicide, the suspect reportedly confessed to the crime during the police interrogation, according to an unconfirmed report published by the newspaper El Financiero.
On the night of the crime (April 16), Martínez reportedly requested a taxi using a ride-hailing app but the driver refused to accept him with large garbage bags.
Another news report, however, maintains that a taxi driver, named Ana “N,” had transported Martínez on April 16 at around 11 p.m. with three black bags and a backpack.
Local authorities did not provide any further information on the case as the investigation is ongoing.
With reports from El Financiero, El Universal and Proceso
