A search is underway for a retired Air Force major general who went missing 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. on Feb. 27, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. McCasland’s wife left their home shortly after 11 a.m. for a doctor’s appointment and McCasland was already gone when 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, his wallet and a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster were missing from the house.
Susan McCasland Wilkerson began contacting family and friends in an attempt to find her husband, but finally reported him missing at 3:07 p.m. that afternoon, the sheriff’s office said.
McCasland was described as 5-foot-11, with white hair and blue eyes. He may have been wearing a light green long-sleeved button-down shirt.
Authorities are searching 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 sightings 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 information possible regarding McCasland’s whereabouts.
Authorities said last week there was no evidence of foul play, but it’s unusual for McCasland to be out of contact with his family for so long. McCasland has medical problems, which were not disclosed by the sheriff’s office, which were additional cause for concern.
The sheriff’s office believes he left his home on foot.
“He is an avid outdoorsman and is known to frequently walk, run and bike in Northeast Heights and the Sandia Hills,” the sheriff’s office said.
The office urged anyone with images taken on Feb. 27 and 28 in the Sandia Mountains or the McCasland neighborhood to review them 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 trying to develop their own theories based on the limited information available to the public and this makes it more difficult to find Neil,” he said.
Wilkerson, McCasland’s wife, attempted to correct some misinformation that had been circulating about her husband’s disappearance. She wrote on Facebook last Friday that although her husband has medical problems, they are not related to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
He then dissuaded those who might believe that McCasland was kidnapped because he had some type of classified information.
“He retired from the (Air Force) almost 13 years ago and has only had very common clearances since,” he wrote. “It seems quite unlikely that he would have been kidnapped to extract very old secrets.”
McCasland graduated from the U.S. 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.
The retired general held many positions in the military branch, including commander of the research laboratory at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force.
He was also responsible for $2.2 billion in funding for the Air Force science and technology program and another $2.2 billion in research and development, according to the Air Force.
Wilkerson referred to McCasland’s connection “with the UFO community.” McCasland once volunteered to work with Tom Delonge, singer and guitarist of Blink-182. Delonge’s organization, “To The Stars,” has published fiction books, music and a documentary series 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 published on WikiLeaks, Wilkerson said. Podesta, who worked in the Clinton and Obama administrations, had shared emails with Delonge about his interest in UFOs.
Some of the emails included exchanges with Delonge about a documentary Podesta participated in, and at least one email included a mention of McCasland.
Wilkerson said McCasland has no special knowledge of any ground bodies or UFO crash debris stored by the government.
“This connection is no reason for anyone to kidnap Neil,” Wilkerson wrote.
Wilkerson did not respond to a Thursday voicemail from NBC News requesting to speak about her husband’s disappearance.
