The search for a U.S. Air Force general who vanished from his Albuquerque, New Mexico home has stretched into its fourth week. There have been no confirmed sightings, and experts say there are increasingly grim odds as the search stretches on.
Retired Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland, 68, was last seen on the morning of Feb. 27 when a repairman left his home around 10:00 a.m. His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, departed for a medical appointment at 11:10 a.m. When she returned around noon, McCasland was gone. She reported him missing at 3:07 p.m. that afternoon.
McCasland spent more than three decades in the Air Force, ultimately commanding the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio — one of the Pentagon’s most influential science and technology hubs that oversees over $2 billion in research programs annually.
His background has fueled a wave of online conspiracy theories, in part because Wright-Patterson has long been rumored — and long denied by the Air Force — to house debris from the 1947 Roswell UFO incident.
His disappearance came just days after President Donald Trump announced he was directing federal agencies to release government records related to UFOs.
His wife has repeatedly rejected the conspiracy theories. In a public Facebook post, she wrote that her husband “does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt,” and added that any classified knowledge from his career would now be over a decade out of date. “It seems quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him,” she wrote.
At the time of his disappearance, McCasland’s phone, prescription glasses, and wearable devices were all left behind . Still missing are his wallet, a .38-caliber revolver, a leather holster, and a red backpack.
The local Sheriff’s Office issued a Silver Alert and has launched a massive search operation across the rugged terrain surrounding the area. More than 700 homes have been canvassed. Drones, helicopters, K-9 units, and ground teams have combed the area around the city where McCasland vanished.
A gray U.S. Air Force sweatshirt was found 1.25 miles east of McCasland’s home on March 7, eight days after he disappeared. His family has not confirmed it belonged to him. No blood was detected. A green long-sleeve shirt and hiking boots that investigators believed he may have been wearing were later found at his second home in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, roughly 200 miles away, though officials noted he may have owned duplicates.
Investigators have stated there is no evidence of foul play, but have not ruled anything out. Sheriff John Allen said at a news conference that McCasland had recently been experiencing “mental fog” — but Lt. Woods pushed back on any suggestion that the general was impaired or confused when he disappeared.
“There’s no indication, and we are not putting forward that Mr. McCasland was disoriented or confused,” Woods said. “Arguably, he would still be the most intelligent person in the room that any of us would be in. Highly intelligent, highly capable.”
Sheriff Allen said investigators “will look into everything” but said the investigation is grounded in facts, not internet speculation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 505-468-7070.