Case of Missing General William Neil McCasland Takes Bizarre Turn as Wife Brings Up UFOs

The case of a missing Air Force General named William Neil McCasland has taken a bizarre turn, with his wife debunking theories relating to UFOs.

Susan McCasland Wilkerson posted a lengthy note on Facebook on March 6. As of March 14, McCasland was still missing. In her post, she confirmed that he associated with the "UFO community," but added, "Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt. 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."

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico has released a detailed timeline around the mysterious disappearance of 68-year-old William “Neil” McCasland, "last known to have been at or near his residence in the area of Quail Run Court NE on the morning of Friday, February 27, 2026. A Silver Alert remains in effect, and Mr. McCasland remains missing." Some have compared McCasland's disappearance to that of Nancy Guthrie, but there is no known connection.

McCasland is a retired U.S. Air Force general, the Sheriff wrote, adding that the FBI is assisting. Maj. Gen. William McCasland was the Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. There, he was “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,” his U.S. Air Force bio says.

William Neil McCasland's Wife Confirmed He Had a 'Brief Association With the UFO Community

McCasland's wife thanked searchers "for their unflagging dedicated efforts and support," and added, "I would like to take this opportunity to dispel some of the misinformation circulating about Neil and his disappearance, mostly from uninformed media sources." She then made the following points:

• "The initial Silver Alert from BCSO mentioned medical conditions, which some have taken to mean Alzheimer's. Neil is at some risk, but not from dementia. He was not confused and disoriented."
• "There was no concerning Friday-morning telephone call to a close relative. I have been in contact with all of his close relatives and some not-so-close ones. This is a complete fabrication."
• "It is true that when Neil was in the Air Force, he had access to some highly classified programs and information. 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."
• "It is true that Neil had a brief association with the UFO community through Tom DeLonge, former frontman for Blink-182 and founder of the organization To The Stars. Neil worked with Tom for a bit shortly after his Air Force retirement as an unpaid (Neil's choice) consultant on military and technical/scientific matters to lend verisimilitude to Tom's fiction book and media activities."
• McCasland's wife added, "After the Russians hacked John Podesta's emails (see Neil's Wikipedia page), there was less contact with Tom and the community pushing for release of UFO information. This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil. Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt. 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."

His wife concluded: "All the thoughts and prayers from around the country are much appreciated. I will update if/when any real information comes in."

"Neil McCasland has now been missing for one week. There has been no indication whatsoever of where he might be," his wife wrote. "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."

The Sheriff's Department Says William Neil McCasland Left His Prescription Glasses & Phone

The Sheriff's Department released a detailed timeline, which reported that a repairman interacted with McCasland around 10 a.m. on the day he disappeared. At 11:10 a.m., his wife left their home for a medical appointment.

"At approximately 12:04 p.m., she returned home and Mr. McCasland was not there. His phone, prescription glasses, and wearable devices were located at the residence," the release says. "Mrs. McCasland Wilkerson began attempting to locate Mr. McCasland and contacted family and friends. At approximately 3:07 p.m., she reported him missing and the investigation began immediately."

"As the investigation has progressed, BCSO has identified items believed to be unaccounted for from the residence," the sheriff added, noting that it's believed McCasland was wearing "a light green, long sleeve button-up outdoor shirt. Additional items believed to be missing include his hiking boots, wallet, and a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster."

• The timeline also reveals: "Investigators also located a gray U.S. Air Force sweatshirt approximately 1.25 miles east of the residence on Saturday, March 7. The item was collected and processed. No blood was detected during initial processing, and additional analysis is pending. The sweatshirt has not been confirmed by family or friends to be associated with Mr. McCasland; however, it prompted an additional targeted search effort in the area."
• 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."
• 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. To date, BCSO has not received any confirmed sighting or confirmed video showing Mr. McCasland leaving the area or indicating a direction of travel."
• McCasland "could be at some level of risk and that additional public assistance was needed to locate him. Due to privacy laws, BCSO will not release medical details or speculate about his state of mind."

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