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William “Neil” McCasland, a 68-year-old retired U.S. Air Force general, has been missing for almost two weeks.
“There has been no indication whatsoever of where he might be,” his wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, wrote in a Facebook post Friday. “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.”
She did not immediately respond to Digital’s attempt to reach her.
Although there is a silver alert out for McCasland, his wife said she does not believe his disappearance is related to confusion or disorientation.
RETIRED GENERAL WHO ONCE LED AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY GOES MISSING
An undated photo of missing retired Air Force Gen. William “Neil” McCasland in hiking gear. Te 68-year-old was last seen near his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on Feb. 27. (Susan McCasland Wilkerson/Facebook)
“Neil is at some risk, but not from dementia,” she wrote.
She also downplayed his military record as a reason for his disappearance.
“It is true that when Neil was in the Air Force, he had access to some highly classified programs and information,” she wrote. “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.”
Before his retirement in 2013, McCasland was the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The base served as the headquarters for a military program monitoring unidentified flying objects from 1947 to 1969, according to the government.
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Authorities issued a Silver Alert for retired Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland. (Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office )
She also noted that he had previously maintained a relationship with Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge as an unpaid consultant on military and scientific matters related to UFOs for the rocker’s fiction and media projects.
“This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil,” she wrote.
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He has no “special knowledge” about extraterrestrials or Roswell, New Mexico, according to his wife, who appeared frustrated with the search effort’s lack of progress.
“Though at this point with absolutely no sign of him, maybe the best hypothesis is that aliens beamed him up to the mothership,” she added. “However, no sightings of a mothership hovering above the Sandia Mountains have been reported.”
McCasland previously commanded Kirtland Air Force Base’s Phillips Research Site and Air Force Research Laboratory. (Kirtland Air Force Base )
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McCasland was last seen at his residence on Quail Run Court in Albuquerque on Feb. 27, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office.
He is described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall 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.
Images from his Facebook profile show he was often spending time in the mountains — both skiing and hiking — in the U.S. and abroad.
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The sheriff’s office, FBI and other assisting agencies did not immediately see any signs of foul play, according to a statement released on March 6.
“We are asking for your help in finding him,” the Bernalillo sheriff’s office said in a statement. “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.”
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The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with any information to come forward, even if they don’t think what they know is 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,” the statement continued.
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Anyone with information can text “BCSO” to 847411 or call the 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,” authorities said.
