Linda was last seen on August 20, 2000 when she was dropped off at her home by a friend at 10:00 a.m., after attending church. She lived in the 2600 block of West Curtis Road in Tuscon. On August 21, a repairman found Linda's house unlocked and deserted and reported it to police. Investigators found her car in the driveway. The back door to the house was open, but there were no signs of forced entry. There was a broken coffee cup in the entryway and coffee stains on the walls and ceiling. Bloog spots were also found. Police believe Linda may have disappeared after being interrupted while talking on the phone.

Linda's pager was left behind, clipped to her Bible. Her loved ones say it would be very uncharacteristic of her to leave the house without her pager. The only things missing from the house were her purse, a night-shirt and a pair of brown sandals. She was having personal problems at the time of her disappearance: she had lost her job, declared bankruptcy, ended her third marriage and broken up with her boyfriend.

Linda was involved in a custody dispute with her ex-husband, David Watson, at the time she disappeared. Her daughter was visiting David when Linda went missing; she failed to pick up the child after the visit was over. She also missed a custody hearing, which is uncharacteristic of her. Linda had lost her job a short time before her disappearance and was upset about it, but authorities do not believe this was the impetus behind her disappearance. Both Linda's ex-husband and her ex-boyfriend are considered suspects in her disappearance, as she was having problems with both of them when she vanished. However, neither of them, nor anyone else, have been charged with any wrongdoing in connection with her case.

On May 7, 2003, Linda's mother, Marilyn Cox, and Cox's neighbor and friend, Renee Farnsworth, were found shot to death in Cox's driveway. Neighbors called police at 8:48 p.m. that day and reported hearing five shots and seeing man running away from the dying women. Photographs of Cox and Farnsworth are posted below this case summary. Cox'shome was also Linda's home; she had moved in after Linda vanished. She had won court-ordered access to Linda's daughter shortly before her own murder. Cox was granted overnight visits once a month and phone calls twice a week. She complained to the court that David wasn't permitting her to talk to her granddaughter on the phone as ordered, and a hearing was scheduled to review the matter. Cox was murdered before the hearing took place. She had been vocal in her pursuit of a resolution to Linda's case. She stated she was afraid and asked her friends to come with her whenever she went after dark, telling them as well as her lawyer that she worried she might disappear too. Authorities believe Linda was abducted by the same person who murdered her mother and Farnsworth. They have questioned David about the murders and say he is being cooperative.

Police suspect Linda was taken against her will and probably murdered. She was declared legally dead in August 2006. Her loved ones held a memorial service for her and her daughter inherited her estate. Her case remains unsolved.

Left: Marilyn Cox;
Right: Renee Farnsworth