U.S. Military and National Security

Authorities in New Mexico are in the third week of searching for retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William "Neil" McCasland, 68, a former commander of Kirtland Air Force Base’s Phillips Research Site and the Air Force Research Laboratory who vanished after leaving his Albuquerque home on foot around 11 a.m. Feb. 27. At a Monday news conference, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said there are still no confirmed sightings and announced investigators are examining hiking boots found at McCasland’s vacation home and a U.S. Air Force sweatshirt recovered more than a mile from his residence, though neither item has been definitively linked to him. McCasland left behind his phone, glasses and wearable devices, but his wallet, a revolver, its holster and a red backpack are missing, and a repairman who saw him that morning reported he seemed in a "mental fog" even as deputies describe him as "highly intelligent, highly capable." The FBI joined the case on March 3, and officials have issued a Silver Alert, urged residents to review home-security footage from Feb. 27–28, and stressed they have found no evidence of foul play but are not ruling out any scenario. The case has drawn outsized attention because of McCasland’s senior rank and past access to highly classified aerospace programs, fueling online speculation that his disappearance is linked to his prior work—claims his wife has publicly rejected as unfounded.