A massive search is underway in New Mexico for a retired two-star Air Force general who vanished last week under mysterious circumstances. William Neil McCasland, 68, was last seen around 11 a.m. on Friday, February 27, near Quail Run Court NE in an Albuquerque foothills neighborhood, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities have issued a Silver Alert for McCasland, a public notification system used for missing seniors or individuals with medical conditions. The sheriff’s office stated that “due to his medical issues, law enforcement is concerned for his safety”. Specific details about his medical condition have not been released.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is leading the investigation, but they have been joined by multiple agencies including the FBI Albuquerque field office, the Air Force, and New Mexico Search and Rescue teams. The FBI’s involvement is described as “standard practice” when federal agencies have tools or techniques that could benefit a local investigation.
Search efforts have included drone flights, K9 units, and helicopter searches across the Albuquerque Open Space area. A New Mexico Search and Rescue team was actively looking for McCasland in the area from Sunday through Monday.
Col. Justin Secrest, commander of the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, confirmed the base is coordinating closely with local authorities. “Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time,” Secrest said.
Authorities have emphasized there are “no signs of any criminal activity such as a kidnapping or anything else” at this time. McCasland’s wife, Susan, posted on Facebook that his disappearance “does not seem to have been foul play at all”.
A potential lead has emerged from a woman who posted in the Albuquerque Trail Running Crew Facebook group. Mj Davis reported that she may have seen someone matching McCasland’s description around the time he went missing near the Whitewash trailhead in Piedra Lisa Canyon. The man was reportedly standing off to the side near a bridge over the arroyo at the start of the trail.
Friends describe McCasland as an avid hiker and cyclist who frequently visits the La Luz and nearby trail systems. He had recently completed a 60-mile bike ride, underscoring his physical fitness. However, friends noted he left home without his watch or phone, which is highly unusual for him.
McCasland is a distinguished figure in U.S. aerospace and defense circles. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1979, he went on to earn a master’s degree and doctorate in astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under a John and Fannie Hertz Foundation fellowship.
His 34-year Air Force career included commanding the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where he was “responsible for managing the Air Force’s $2.2 billion science and technology program as well as additional customer-funded research and development of $2.2 billion”. He oversaw a global workforce of approximately 10,800 personnel.
He previously commanded the Phillips Research Site at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico and served in various space research, acquisition, and operations roles, including work with the National Reconnaissance Office. After retiring from active duty in July 2013, McCasland continued in the private sector, including serving as director of technology at Applied Technology Associates.
McCasland’s disappearance has attracted attention from UFO enthusiasts due to his oversight of research facilities long associated with conspiracy theories. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has been linked in UFO lore to the alleged study of materials from the 1947 Roswell incident, though official reports attribute the debris to Project Mogul balloons. The base was also at the center of the military’s “Project Blue Book” investigation into unidentified flying objects in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 2016, McCasland’s name surfaced in WikiLeaks emails from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. Musician Tom DeLonge, founder of Blink-182 and the UFO-focused To The Stars Academy, referenced McCasland multiple times, claiming he had advised him on disclosure matters and helped assemble an advisory team. DeLonge suggested on a podcast that McCasland and other insiders advised him on a strategy for “slow disclosure” of UAP information to the American public.
However, officials maintain these facilities focus on national security and experimental defense projects. There is no public evidence that McCasland participated in UFO crash retrievals, reverse-engineering of non-human technology, or classified extraterrestrial programs. His documented work focused on advanced aerospace research, which has fueled speculation in defense circles.
Some social media users have drawn comparisons between McCasland’s disappearance and that of Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of TODAY show anchor Savannah Guthrie, who went missing in Arizona around the same time. Both are elderly individuals with some prominence and medical issues who vanished unexpectedly in the American Southwest.
However, authorities have not stated that McCasland was abducted, unlike the Guthrie case, where investigators have evidence of kidnapping. There is no indication of any connection between the two cases beyond coincidence.
McCasland is described as five feet eleven inches tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. His clothing at the time of disappearance and direction of travel remain unknown.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit at 505-468-7070 or text BCSO to 847411. Residents in the area are also asked to check and preserve any security camera footage that might aid the investigation.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., has amplified the search on social media, urging the community to be on the lookout.
As the search enters its second week, family, friends, and the community hold out hope for McCasland’s safe return.
