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Authorities in New Mexico are entering their third week of an intensive search for a retired U.S. Air Force general who vanished from his Albuquerque home. Retired Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland, 68, was last seen on the morning of February 27. When his wife returned from a medical appointment, he was gone, leaving behind his phone, glasses, and wearable devices.
A Silver Alert for a “Highly Intelligent” Mind
Following his disappearance, officials issued a Silver Alert, an advisory typically reserved for those with deteriorating intellectual faculties. While McCasland had recently reported experiencing “mental fog,” investigators emphasized that he was not cognitively impaired. Lt. Kyle Woods noted that McCasland remained “highly intelligent and highly capable,” but the alert was used to garner maximum public attention.
Missing Boots and a .38-Caliber Revolver
The timeline of his disappearance shows McCasland spoke with a repairman at 10 a.m. before his wife left an hour later. Upon her return, she discovered several items were missing from the home, including his hiking boots, wallet, and a .38-caliber revolver in a leather holster. Investigators believe he may have been wearing a light green long-sleeve outdoor shirt when he left.
The Hunt for Clues in the Sandia Foothills
McCasland is described as an avid outdoorsman who frequently runs, cycles, and hikes in the Sandia foothills. Despite searching with drones, K-9 teams, and helicopters, no confirmed sightings have been identified. On March 7, searchers found a gray U.S. Air Force sweatshirt about a mile from his home, though it has not been confirmed to belong to the general.
Commander of a $2.2 Billion Secret Laboratory
The mystery is deepened by McCasland’s high-profile military career, which included commanding the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In this role, he managed a staggering $2.2 billion science and technology program along with billions more in R&D. His position at the pinnacle of military research has fueled intense speculation about the nature of his disappearance.
The Wright-Patterson Connection and Project Blue Book
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where McCasland served, holds a unique place in American folklore as the former home of Project Blue Book. This Cold War-era project logged over 12,000 UFO sightings, with 701 remaining unidentified. Because of this historical link, online theorists have been quick to connect the general’s disappearance to classified government programs and extraterrestrial secrets.
A Surprising Link to Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge
In a social media statement aimed at dispelling rumors, McCasland’s wife confirmed he had a brief association with the UFO community. After retiring, he served as an unpaid consultant for Tom DeLonge, the Blink-182 guitarist and founder of “To The Stars”. McCasland provided technical and military expertise to lend “verisimilitude” to DeLonge’s fictional books and media projects.
Family Denies the “Extraction” of UFO Secrets
Despite his work with DeLonge, his family maintains that he holds no “special knowledge” regarding the legendary Roswell crash debris or bodies. His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, dismissed theories that he was kidnapped to extract classified information. She stated it was “quite unlikely” he was taken to extract what she described as “very dated secrets” from his time in service.
700 Homes Canvassed as the FBI Joins the Search
The search for the retired general has expanded significantly, with the FBI’s Albuquerque field office now assisting the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators have canvassed more than 700 homes, requesting security footage from the day he vanished. Despite these massive resources, there remains no evidence of foul play and no confirmed video of him leaving the area.
An Active Mystery With No Direction of Travel
Three weeks into the investigation, the case of General McCasland remains an active missing-person search with no confirmed sightings. Authorities are urging hikers and residents in the Northeast Heights area to review any GoPro or cell phone recordings from late February. Until a break in the case occurs, the fate of the man who ran the Air Force’s secret labs remains unknown.