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Retired Air Force General Vanishes in Albuquerque; Search Intensifies
Albuquerque, NM – Authorities in Albuquerque are intensifying their search for retired Air Force Major Gen. William “Neil” McCasland, 68, who vanished from his home nearly two weeks ago. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and the FBI are actively investigating his disappearance, releasing a new timeline of his last known movements.
McCasland was last seen on February 27, when he had an interaction with a home repairman around 10 a.m. He then disappeared 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 at his residence, but his wallet, hiking boots, and a .38-caliber revolver are unaccounted for.
Search teams located a US Air Force sweatshirt approximately a mile from his home, though it has not been confirmed to belong to McCasland. He was last seen wearing a light green, button-up outdoor shirt with a button-down collar and two chest pockets.
McCasland is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall with white hair and blue eyes. An avid outdoorsman, he is known to frequent hiking, running, and cycling trails in the Northeast Heights and Sandia Foothills.
The BCSO is urging residents on Quail Run Court Northeast and surrounding areas to review and submit any home security video footage from between 9 a.m. on Friday, February 27, and 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 28. Hikers who may have used GoPro-style cameras or phone footage in the Sandia Foothills during that period are also asked to check their recordings.
Video can be submitted through the BCSO Axon Portal, and the sheriff’s missing persons unit can be reached at 505-468-7070. Tips can also be sent by texting “BCSO” to 847411.
While a Silver Alert has been issued for McCasland, his wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, stated that he does not suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s. In a recent Facebook post, Wilkerson expressed frustration with the lack of progress in the search, noting extensive efforts by official teams, friends, and neighbors, including foot searches, horseback searchers, drones, helicopters, and various types of search dogs.
Authorities have not found any immediate signs of foul play. Wilkerson also addressed speculation regarding her husband’s military background, clarifying that while he had access to highly classified programs during his Air Force career, he retired 13 years ago and has since held only commonly held clearances. She stated, “It seems quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him.”
Prior to his 2013 retirement, McCasland commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which housed a military program monitoring unidentified flying objects between 1947 and 1969. He holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
However, Wilkerson emphasized that her husband possesses no “special knowledge” about extraterrestrials or the Roswell incident, jokingly adding, “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.”