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Following the deaths and unexplained disappearances of several scientists linked to UFO research, Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett has sounded the alarm about what he calls a troubling and “dark” pattern.
Burchett pointed specifically to the cases of retired U.S. Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland and his former colleague Monica Reza, both of whom have vanished under unclear circumstances.
McCasland has not been seen since Friday, February 27, when he reportedly left his home for a trail run. Despite ongoing investigations involving the FBI, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico Search & Rescue, and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, no trace of him has been found.
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His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, has attempted to push back against what she described as “misinformation” connecting her husband’s disappearance to UFOs. Still, authorities say there have been no confirmed sightings or evidence indicating where he may have gone.
Meanwhile, Reza was last seen nine months ago while hiking in Angeles National Forest with a friend. An aerospace engineer, she reportedly worked under McCasland on a U.S. government project focused on developing a specialized metal for rockets. It remains unclear whether her disappearance is related to McCasland’s.
‘Something dark is going on’
Burchett has been vocal about his concerns.
“Something dark is going on. I know these scientists and researchers. They have testified. We’ve got to get to the bottom of it,” he said in a recent interview. “It’s just too much, too much is going on right now, and by the way, I’m not suicidal.”
He added, “There have been several others throughout the country that have disappeared under suspicious circumstances. I think we ought to be paying attention to it.”
“The numbers seem very high in these certain areas of research. I think we’d better be paying attention, and I don’t think we should trust our government.”
A history of controversial UFO claims
Burchett, who sits on the House Oversight Committee investigating UFO reports, has made a number of bold claims about the topic.
Recently, he accused NASA of withholding information, saying the agency is “lying” about its knowledge of UFOs and concealing classified files.
When asked why more whistleblowers have not come forward, Burchett suggested fear may be a factor. “They’re afraid someone will disappear them,” he said.
“I think being murdered is what they’re afraid of,” he added. “I think some of them truly are because of things they’ve seen.”
In past statements, Burchett has also accused the government of misleading the public about extraterrestrial activity. In 2023, he claimed officials were hiding the truth about aliens and UFOs, and he has alleged that the U.S. is reverse-engineering alien technology capable of catastrophic destruction.
More recently, in 2025, he asserted that the government is aware of underwater alien bases, claiming that “entities” exist at several deep-sea locations around the world.