A Former General Linked to UFO Research Is Missing

The search for a missing retired U.S. Air Force general has expanded after the FBI joined local authorities investigating his disappearance in New Mexico nearly two weeks ago. Major General William Neil McCasland, a former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, vanished from his Albuquerque home on Feb. 27, prompting an intensive search involving federal agents and state rescue teams.

The case has drawn national attention not only because of his senior military career but also due to his brief association with the UFO research community, including Tom DeLonge, the guitarist and singer of the band Blink-182. As investigators continue canvassing the area and reviewing surveillance footage, the circumstances surrounding McCasland’s disappearance remain unclear.

The FBI has joined the search for retired U.S. Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland, a former senior military scientist who has been missing for nearly two weeks in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Local authorities confirmed that federal agents are assisting the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office as the investigation expands.

McCasland, 68, was last seen on Feb. 27 near his home on Quail Run Court NE. A Silver Alert was issued because of concerns for his safety, and officials say he left the residence without his phone or watch, an unusual circumstance that has heightened concern among investigators and family members as the search continues.

Authorities say the search operation has broadened as days have passed without confirmed sightings of the retired general.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office has worked with multiple agencies, including the FBI, New Mexico State Search and Rescue teams and local police departments, to canvass the surrounding area. Investigators have contacted hundreds of residents and requested security camera footage in an effort to trace McCasland’s movements before he disappeared.

According to officials involved in the investigation, more than 600 homeowners in the neighborhood have been asked to review surveillance recordings that could reveal where the former general went after leaving his home.

McCasland had a long career in the U.S. Air Force that placed him at the center of some of the military’s most advanced scientific research programs. During his 34-year service, he rose to lead the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, one of the Pentagon’s most important centers for aerospace technology and experimental defense systems.

In that position he oversaw billions of dollars in research projects and supervised some of the military’s most sensitive technological programs. Wright-Patterson has long been associated in public lore with historic UFO investigations, including work connected to Project Blue Book and speculation surrounding the 1947 Roswell incident.

After retiring from the Air Force in 2013, McCasland’s name later surfaced in discussions connected to the modern UFO research community. He briefly became associated with Tom DeLonge, the Blink-182 guitarist and singer who founded the organization To The Stars Academy to study unidentified aerial phenomena.

According to McCasland’s wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, the retired general worked with DeLonge only briefly and in a limited role. She explained: 

«Neil worked with Tom for a bit shortly after his Air Force retirement as an unpaid consultant on military and technical/scientific matters to lend verisimilitude to Tom's fiction book and media activities». 

She said the collaboration later ended and that her husband was not deeply involved in UFO activism.

As the disappearance gained attention online, McCasland’s wife has pushed back against speculation linking the case to UFO conspiracies. Some commentators suggested the retired general may have been targeted because of classified knowledge about extraterrestrial programs. Wilkerson dismissed those claims and emphasized that her husband had no such insider information.

«Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt», she said when addressing rumors circulating online. She also commented on the unusual nature of the situation, adding: 

«Though at this point with absolutely no sign of him, maybe the best hypothesis is that aliens beamed him up to the mothership».

Despite the public fascination surrounding McCasland’s past involvement in discussions about unidentified aerial phenomena, authorities say the case remains a missing-person investigation. Law enforcement officials have not indicated that foul play has been confirmed, and the focus of the search remains on locating the retired officer.

Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart, who has reported extensively on UFO issues, described the situation as deeply concerning given McCasland’s career background.

He said the disappearance involves «a man with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States in his head», underscoring why the case has drawn attention far beyond New Mexico as investigators continue the search.