It’s been two weeks since 68-year-old William “Neil” McCasland went missing in New Mexico, and authorities are still searching for the retired Air Force General.
“Mr. McCasland remains missing,” said the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) in a Thursday update on the case. It said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other partner agencies have joined the search.
According to McCasland’s Air Force biography, he was the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. He was also “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,” and a managing global workforce of approximately 10,800 people.
His biography said McCasland was commissioned in 1979 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering and he also holds a doctorate degree in astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his career, he served in a variety of space research, acquisition and operations roles within the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office, including a role as director of Space Acquisition in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force at the Pentagon.
KRQE reported that McCasland retired in 2013. Per the BCSO, he is an “avid outdoorsman” who is “known to often hike, run and cycle in the Northeast Heights and the Sandia foothills,” near his home in Albuquerque, N.M.
McCasland doesn’t keep out of touch with his friends and family for long lengths of time, said authorities. Here’s a rundown of the timeline of his disappearance so far:
· Friday, Feb. 27 at 10 a.m.— A repairman was at the McCasland residence on Quail Run Court NE in Albuquerque and interacted with McCasland
· Friday, Feb. 27 at 11:10 a.m.— McCalsand’s wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, leaves their home to go to a medical appointment
· Friday, Feb. 27 at 12:04 p.m.— McCasland Wilkerson returns home to find that McCasland is not there, but his phone, prescription glasses and wearable devices are
· Friday, Feb. 27 at 3:07 p.m.— After trying to contact McCasland, McCasaland Wilkerson reports her husband missing and an investigation begins immediately
· Friday, March 6 — BCSO posts an update to the case on Facebook, as does his wife
· Saturday, March 7 – Investigators locate a gray U.S. Air Force sweatshirt approximately 1.25 miles east of the McCasland residence
· Thursday, March 12 – BCSO issues another update on Facebook
According to the BCSO, family and friends of McCasland have not confirmed that the Air Force sweatshirt was his. Still, it has been collected and processed. As of this week, there was no blood detected, but additional analysis is pending and there has been an increased search concentration in the area where it was found.
There are some items from the McCasalnd home that are believed to be unaccounted for the sheriff’s office also revealed.
“Investigators believe Mr. McCasland may have been wearing… a light green, long sleeve button-up outdoor shirt,” featured in a photo provided to authorities, it said. “Additional items believed to be missing include his hiking boots, wallet, and a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster.”
As of Thursday, a Silver Alert for McCasland remained in effect. These alerts are notifications “relating to an endangered person who is confirmed to be a missing person, who is fifty (50) years or older and whom there is clear indication that the individual has an irreversible deterioration of intellectual faculties,” according to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety.
“The Silver Alert was issued based on information available early in the investigation that indicated Mr. McCasland could be at some level of risk and that additional public assistance was needed to locate him,” the BCSO explained Thursday. “Due to privacy laws, BCSO will not release medical details or speculate about his state of mind.”
Additionally, the sheriff’s office said in its March 6 update asked the public to “remember that information other than from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office is not verified or confirmed,” and said that “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.”
Newsweek noted that McCasland was known to some as a “UFO expert” after he worked briefly with Tom DeLonge, the former frontman of pop punk band Blink 182. DeLonge founded the organization To The Stars, which previously researched UFOs, Newsweek said.
In a March 6 Facebook post cited by Newsweek and the Columbus Dispatch, Susan McCasland Wilkerson addressed what she called “some of the misinformation circulating about Neil and his disappearance, mostly from uninformed media sources.”
She said that McCasland is not at risk due to dementia (referring to the Silver Alert) and that he “does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt,” and that he has had less contact with DeLonge following high-profile email hackings. McCasland Wilkerson also noted that while her husband had access to classified information, “it seems quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him.”
Another rumor she refuted was related to an alleged phone call.
“There was no concerning Friday-morning telephone call to a close relative,” said her March 6 message. “I have been in contact with all of his close relatives and some not-so-close ones. This is a complete fabrication.”
Another missing person case one state over, in Arizona, has also received extensive media attention. As of this Friday, Today Show host Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was last seen at her home near Tucson in early February. Since then, there have been several ransom claims – including at least one alleged hoax – and theories about what authorities believe to be a kidnapping.
In New Mexico, the BCSO, the FBI, New Mexico Department of Public Safety and New Mexico State Police Search and Rescue system, with volunteer search teams are continuing the search for McCasland. Horses, dogs, helicopters and more had been deployed by last Friday, his wife said. Authorities have also asked the public to provide any possible footage of McCasland from Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, or information that might help find him.
“BCSO continues to pursue all credible leads and follow up on every tip received. While there is currently no evidence indicating foul play, investigators are examining all available information as the case remains active,” the office said Thursday. “Investigators have expanded a neighborhood canvass to more than 700 homes, requesting security video and information. Additional search efforts have included drone operations, helicopter support, ground searches with Search and Rescue teams, and K 9 searches.”
At the time the update was posted the BCSO had not received any confirmed sightings of MCasland leaving the area, or any indication of the direction he might have traveled in, but the search continues.
McCasland is described as a 5’11 white male with white hair and blue eyes who is believed to have left his residence on foot. Everyone in the Albuquerque area is asked to check their security cameras for footage from Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, particularly between the hours of 9 a.m. on the 27th and 2 p.m. on the 28th.
“If you were in the foothills or on trails February 27 to 28, please review any GoPro or phone footage and submit anything that may help,” the BCSO said Thursday. Video and photos can be uploaded at berncosdnm.evidence.com/axon/community and tips can be submitted by calling the BCSO Missing Persons Unit at 505-468-7070 or anonymously through Tip411 by texting BCSO and your tip to 847411.
Authorities are asking for any information, even things that might seem insignificant.