A search is ongoing for a retired Air Force major general who disappeared in New Mexico nearly two weeks ago, local law enforcement officials said Thursday.
A silver alert was issued last week for Maj. Gen. Neil McCasland, who was last seen at his Albuquerque home at 11 a.m. Feb. 27, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. McCasland’s wife left their home just after 11 a.m. for a medical appointment, and McCasland was gone by the time she returned about an hour later.
“His phone, prescription glasses, and wearable devices were located at the residence,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday. His hiking boots and wallet and a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster were missing from the home.
Susan McCasland Wilkerson began contacting family members and friends in an attempt to find her husband but eventually reported him missing by 3:07 p.m. that afternoon, the sheriff’s office said.
McCasland was described as 5 feet, 11 inches tall with white hair and blue eyes. He may have been wearing a light green long-sleeve, button-up shirt.
Authorities are looking for McCasland using search-and-rescue teams, dogs, drones and helicopters, the sheriff’s office said. The FBI confirmed it was assisting in the investigation.
“To date, BCSO has not received any confirmed sighting or confirmed video showing Mr. McCasland leaving the area or indicating a direction of travel,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office urged the public to come forward with any possible information about McCasland’s whereabouts.
Officials said last week that there was no evidence of foul play but that it is unlike McCasland to be out of contact from his family for so long. McCasland has medical issues, which the sheriff’s office did not disclose, that added cause for concern.
The sheriff’s office believes he left his home on foot.
“He is an avid outdoorsman and is known to often hike, run, and cycle in the Northeast Heights and the Sandia foothills,” it said.
The office urged anyone with video taken Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 in the Sandia mountains or in McCasland’s neighborhood to review it and submit anything that might be helpful.
The sheriff’s office said information other than what it has issued is “not verified or confirmed.”
“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,” it said.
Wilkerson, McCasland’s wife, tried to correct some misinformation that had been circulating. She wrote on Facebook last Friday that though her husband does have medical issues, it is not related to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
She then dissuaded those who might believe McCasland was taken because he had some kind of classified information.
“He retired from the [Air Force] almost 13 years ago and has had only very commonly held clearances since,” she wrote. “It seems quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him.”
McCasland graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering. He also has a doctorate in the subject from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the Air Force.
He held many roles with the Air Force, including commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
He was also responsible for $2.2 billion in funds for the Air Force’s science and technology program and another $2.2 billion in research and development, according to the Air Force.
Wilkerson addressed McCasland’s connection “with the UFO community.” McCasland once volunteered to work with Tom DeLonge, lead singer and guitarist for Blink-182. DeLonge’s organization, “To The Stars,” has published fiction books, music and a docuseries related to aliens and unidentified flying objects.
McCasland had “less contact” with DeLonge and the UFO community after political strategist John Podesta’s emails were publicly posted on WikiLeaks, Wilkerson said. Podesta, who worked in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, had shared emails with DeLonge about his interest in UFOs.
Some of the emails included exchanges about a documentary that Podesta took part in, and at least one email mentioned McCasland.
Wilkerson said McCasland has no special knowledge of any terrestrial bodies or any UFO crash debris stored by the government.
“This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil,” she wrote.
Wilkerson did not respond to a voicemail Thursday asking to speak about her husband’s disappearance.
