In a puzzling case that has gripped Albuquerque, New Mexico, retired Air Force Major General William “Neil” McCasland disappeared in a brief, one-hour window. His wife, who had left for an appointment, returned to find him missing. Notably, he left behind his phone and glasses, yet a gun and his wallet are nowhere to be found, as stated by local authorities.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office provided an updated timeline on Thursday evening, detailing the 68-year-old aerospace engineer’s last known activities. This update comes nearly two weeks after McCasland’s mysterious disappearance and amid efforts by the FBI to assist in the search.
On the morning of February 27, the day McCasland vanished, he interacted with a home repairman at approximately 10 a.m. Following this encounter, he disappeared between 11 a.m. and noon while his wife was still away. Inside their home, investigators discovered his phone, glasses, and other wearable devices, while his wallet, hiking boots, and a .38-caliber revolver remained missing.
Adding to the intrigue, search teams found a U.S. Air Force sweatshirt just over a mile from McCasland’s residence. However, authorities have yet to confirm whether the garment belonged to him.
Then he vanished between 11 a.m. and noon, while his wife was out of the house for an appointment. His phone, glasses and “wearable devices” were found in the home. His wallet, hiking boots and a .38-caliber revolver are unaccounted for.
Search teams found a US Air Force sweatshirt just over a mile from the home, but authorities have not confirmed it belonged to McCasland.
The sheriff’s office said he was last seen wearing a light green, button-up outdoor shirt with a button-down collar and two chest pockets.
Authorities issued a Silver Alert for Ret. Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland. (Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office )
He is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall with white hair and blue eyes and is believed to have left his residence on foot. He is an avid outdoorsman and is known to often hike, run and cycle in the Northeast Heights and the Sandia Foothills.
In a statement, BCSO asked residents on Quail Run Court Northeast and roads leading to and from the area to “check and submit” home security video from between 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 27, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28.
A split image showing missing retired Air Force Gen. William “Neil” McCasland in hiking gear. He was last seen near his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Feb. 27. (McCasland family/Facebook)
Hikers who may have been wearing GoPro-style cameras or taking phone footage in the Sandia Foothills of Albuquerque are also asked to check their footage and submit anything that could help find McCasland.
Video can be submitted through the BCSO Axon Portal. The number for the sheriff’s missing persons unit is 505-468-7070. Anyone with information can also text “BCSO” to 847411.
The sheriff’s office, FBI and other assisting agencies did not immediately see any signs of foul play, according to a statement released on March 6.
“There has been no indication whatsoever of where he might be,” his wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, wrote in a Facebook post Friday. “There have been dozens of searchers on foot, both official and friends and neighbors of Neil’s, who coordinate with the official sources. There have also been horseback searchers, drones with different capabilities, helicopters, three different types of search dogs, neighborhood canvassing and looking for Ring or wildlife videos.”
Although there is a silver alert out for McCasland, his wife said he does not have dementia or Alzheimer’s.
She also downplayed his military record as a potential reason for his disappearance.
“It is true that when Neil was in the Air Force, he had access to some highly classified programs and information,” she wrote. “He retired from the AF almost 13 years ago and has had only very commonly held clearances since. It seems quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him.”
Before his retirement in 2013, McCasland was the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The base served as the headquarters for a military program monitoring unidentified flying objects from 1947 to 1969, according to the government.
He has a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
However, he has no “special knowledge” about extraterrestrials or Roswell, New Mexico, according to his wife, who appeared frustrated with the search effort’s lack of progress.
“Though at this point with absolutely no sign of him, maybe the best hypothesis is that aliens beamed him up to the mothership,” she added. “However, no sightings of a mothership hovering above the Sandia Mountains have been reported.”
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