New Mexico authorities have issued a silver alert for a retired U.S. Air Force general who has been missing for several days.
Retired U.S. Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland, 68, has not been seen since 11 a.m. Friday near Quail Run Court NE in Albuquerque, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities expressed heightened concern given his medical condition, prompting them to issue a silver alert, which indicates that a senior typically with medical or cognitive issues is missing but believed to be alive.
Authorities also do not know what McCasland was wearing or what direction he was heading when he went missing.
“Due to his medical issues, law enforcement is concerned for his safety,” the sheriff’s office said. Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen said in a press release that his office’s “priority is finding Mr. McCasland safely,” adding that “our investigators and search teams are working continuously, and we’re coordinating closely with our local, state, and federal partners.”
Authorities described him as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds, with blue eyes and white hair.
He was commissioned in 1979 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in astronautical engineering, according to his Air Force biography.
He has held several high-ranking leadership roles in science, technology and space research for the U.S. Air Force, including the National Reconnaissance Office.
McCasland served as a leader at the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico and as the former commander of the Kirtland Phillips Research Site and Air Force Research Laboratory.
He also served as commander of Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where he oversaw more than $2.2 billion science and technology projects program, alongside $2.2 billion in customer‑funded research and development.
The retired general appeared in the 2016 WikiLeaks emails from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, alongside other prominent UFO researchers, including Tom DeLonge.
DeLonge told Podesta that he had sought McCasland’s advice and had been “working with him for four months.”
He added that McCasland was “very, very aware” of DeLonge’s UFO-disclosure investigation, given his position at Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base, noting that the Roswell wreckage was shipped there.
Colonel Justin Secrest, commander of the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland, told The Albuquerque Journal that the base is working with local authorities to locate McCasland.
“We are coordinating closely with local authorities and defer all updates regarding the search efforts to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time,” Secrest said.
Authorities continue to search the surrounding area and urge anyone with information about McCasland to text BCSO to 847411 or call the sheriff’s Missing Persons Unit at +1 (505) 468-7070.