A troubling mystery is unfolding in New Mexico after a retired U.S. Air Force major general with ties to some of the military’s most sensitive aerospace programs disappeared without a trace nearly two weeks ago.
Authorities say Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, vanished from his Albuquerque home on February 27 under circumstances that have raised serious questions, especially given his history with advanced military research and longstanding UFO speculation surrounding one of America’s most secretive bases.
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland US Air Force
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that McCasland left his home on foot around 11 a.m. that morning and has not been seen or heard from since. His cell phone was left behind, and he has not contacted family or friends.
The sheriff’s office issued a Silver Alert the following day, citing concerns about an unspecified medical condition that could put the retired general at risk.
Despite an intensive search effort, there has been no confirmed sighting of McCasland.
Credit: Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office
The FBI has already joined the effort to locate the missing high-ranking retired U.S. Air Force major general.
Investigators say deputies and volunteers have canvassed the surrounding neighborhood, interviewed witnesses, and contacted more than 600 homeowners while combing through surveillance footage and potential leads.
So far, nothing.
According to the press release published on the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook account:
“It has been a week since William “Neil” McCasland was last seen at his residence on Quail Run Court in Albuquerque. It is unlike Neil to be out of touch from his family and friends for this length of time; but we have not given up hope. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office continues to seek the community’s help in locating him.
Neil is 5’11” 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.
Over the last week, investigators at the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office have worked hand in hand with the FBI and other partner agencies, and have so far uncovered no evidence of foul play. We are, however, utilizing all possible resources including advanced technologies, and still considering all possible scenarios as we follow up on leads towards locating Neil. As of today, despite the collective efforts of law enforcement and the community, we still do not know what happened to Neil after he left home on February 27th.
As the investigation continues, we will share verified information with you when possible. Please remember that information other than from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is not verified or confirmed. There are people who attempt to develop their own theories based on the limited information available to the public and this makes finding Neil harder.
We are asking for your help in finding him. We believe there are people who have information valuable to locating Neil who have not yet spoken to law enforcement. This could include people who have been in the Sandia mountains and may have seen Neil or captured him on a GoPro or other recording device, specifically on Friday, February 27 or Saturday, February 28.
Sometimes people have information but do not come forward because they feel it may not be important. Regardless of how insignificant you think your information might be, or whether you think we are already aware of it, please contact us and allow us to make that determination.
If you have any information, text BCSO to 847411 or call our Missing Persons Unit at (505) 468-7070.
We would also like to remind the public of some hiking safety tips: Pick the right trail for you and your group’s ability, remember to let people know where you are, dress in layers, be sure to have enough water and always take your cell phone or some other way to communicate.”
Credit: Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office
After retiring from the Air Force nearly 13 years ago, McCasland briefly worked with To The Stars Academy, the organization co-founded by Blink-182 musician Tom DeLonge, which claims to research unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), according to CNN.
The timing of his disappearance has also raised eyebrows.
Just days before McCasland vanished, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had directed federal agencies to release additional government records related to UFOs and extraterrestrial life.
While there is no evidence linking the two events, the coincidence has fueled speculation across social media.
Luis Elizondo, the former Department of Defense intelligence officer who helped lead the Pentagon’s Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), said he hopes the disappearance is not something more sinister.
“I hope and pray this is not one of those cases where a former senior military officer was specifically targeted and that he will be found happy and healthy in the immediate near term for his sake and the sake of his loved ones,” Elizondo told CNN.
He cautioned against jumping to conclusions.
“Whether or not his disappearance had anything to do with any legacy involvement he may have had in UAP research, I prefer to allow law enforcement the necessary time to do their work before speculating.”
McCasland’s wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, addressed the speculation directly in a Facebook post:
Neil McCasland has now been missing for one week. There has been no indication whatsoever of where he might be. 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.
Organizations involved are Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) which is the lead organization, Albuquerque field office of the FBI, NM State Search and Rescue, Albuquerque Mountain Rescue, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Albuquerque Police Department, and maybe others of which I am unaware. I am so grateful to one and all for their unflagging dedicated efforts and support.
I would like to take this opportunity to dispel some of the misinformation circulating about Neil and his disappearance, mostly from uninformed media sources.
1. The initial Silver Alert from BCSO mentioned medical conditions, which some have taken to mean Alzheimer’s. Neil is at some risk, but not from dementia. He was not confused and disoriented.
2. There was no concerning Friday-morning telephone call to a close relative. I have been in contact with all of his close relatives and some not-so-close ones. This is a complete fabrication.
3. It is true that when Neil was in the Air Force, he had access to some highly classified programs and information. 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.
4. It is true that Neil had a brief association with the UFO community through Tom DeLonge, former frontman for Blink-182 and founder of the organization To The Stars. Neil worked with Tom for a bit shortly after his Air Force retirement as an unpaid (Neil’s choice) consultant on military and technical/scientific matters to lend verisimilitude to Tom’s fiction book and media activities. After the Russians hacked John Podesta’s emails (see Neil’s Wikipedia page), there was less contact with Tom and the community pushing for release of UFO information. This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil. Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt. Though at this point with absolutely no sign of him, maybe the best hypothesis is that aliens beamed him up to the mothership. However, no sightings of a mothership hovering above the Sandia Mountains have been reported.
All the thoughts and prayers from around the country are much appreciated. I will update if/when any real information comes in.
Investigators say they are continuing to pursue every lead but are now asking the public for help.
Investigators are urging the public to use the designated link to submit any photos, footage, or video that could assist in the investigation. Click HERE.
The post MYSTERY DEEPENS: Retired Air Force General Who Commanded UFO-Linked Base Vanishes Without a Trace — Missing for Nearly Two Weeks as Authorities Beg Public for Leads appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.