This is a developing story. UFOUAP will update this article as new information becomes available.

Update (April 14): The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office told Newsweek it is “aware of the speculation surrounding this case” but remains “focused on the facts.” The office stated: “At this time, we have not developed evidence establishing that Mr. McCasland’s disappearance is connected to his classified work.” The case remains active with FBI assistance.

Bernalillo County authorities have issued a Silver Alert for 68-year-old retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland after he was reported missing in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was last seen on February 27, 2026, around 11:00 a.m. near Quail Run Ct NE. His clothing and direction of travel are unknown. Authorities have cited medical concerns for his safety.

The name will ring a bell for anyone who has followed the UFO disclosure timeline. McCasland was identified in the 2016 WikiLeaks release of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails as a central figure in musician-turned-disclosure-advocate Tom DeLonge’s UFO advisory team.

Who Is William McCasland?

McCasland is a retired two-star general whose career placed him at the intersection of advanced aerospace technology and classified research.

His most prominent role was commanding the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio – a base that has featured in UFO lore since the 1940s. At AFRL, he oversaw a $4 billion science and technology portfolio and a workforce of more than 10,000 personnel. Before that, he commanded the Phillips Research Site of AFRL at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque and held positions with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

His career was defined by work on space systems, directed energy, sensors, and advanced weapons – the kinds of programs that sit at the edge of what the public is allowed to know.

The Podesta Emails

In October 2016, WikiLeaks published a trove of emails from John Podesta’s Gmail account. Among them were exchanges between Podesta and Tom DeLonge, the former Blink-182 frontman who had pivoted to UFO research and would later co-found To the Stars Academy.

In one email, DeLonge wrote:

“He [General McCasland] just has to be careful. He can’t be seen as supporting this stuff. But he’s been ahead of me the whole time.”

A separate thread showed McCasland directly coordinating a meeting with Podesta. The CC list on that email included a Lockheed Martin address (rob.f.weiss@lmco.com), belonging to Rob Weiss, then executive vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division.

Another email from DeLonge stated plainly:

“General McCasland… helped assemble my advisory team. He’s a very important man.”

McCasland never publicly confirmed or denied these characterizations. He has not spoken publicly about UAP.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is leading the investigation. Col. Justin Secrest, commander of the 377th Air Base Wing at Kirtland AFB, confirmed the base is “coordinating closely with local authorities” and deferred further updates to BCSO. New Mexico Search and Rescue is assisting.

“Due to his medical issues, law enforcement is concerned for his safety.” – Deanna Aragon, BCSO spokesperson

Update (March 10): Investigators had contacted more than 600 homeowners near McCasland’s residence to request security camera footage; BCSO reported no sightings to date and said dozens of tips had not yet produced a confirmed lead. The FBI continues to assist. Journalist Ross Coulthart described the case as a “grave national security crisis” given McCasland’s access to sensitive information; no official link to UAP has been established. NY Post, March 10

Update (March 14): BCSO released a refined timeline: Susan McCasland Wilkerson last saw her husband at 11:10 a.m. local time on February 27; she returned from a medical appointment at 12:04 p.m. to find the home empty. Investigators confirmed that his hiking boots, wallet, and a .38 caliber revolver with leather holster were missing from the residence. In a March 6 Facebook post, Susan wrote that with “absolutely no sign of him,” the “best hypothesis” might be that “aliens beamed him up to the mothership” – before adding, wryly, that no mothership sightings had been reported over the Sandia Mountains. The remark read as dark humor under stress rather than a literal theory. NY Post, March 14

Possible X Account

Online observers have speculated that the X account @tmbspaceships may belong to McCasland. The account identifies its operator as a retired 38-year active-duty Air Force officer with a PhD in engineering, and lists AFIT, AETC, and Air Force Materiel Command – institutions and commands tied to Wright-Patterson, where McCasland commanded AFRL from 2011 to 2013. McCasland earned a PhD in astronautical engineering from MIT in 1988. The account’s last post was on February 27, 2026, the same day McCasland went missing.

In a September 2025 reply, the account claimed that Maj. Gen. John Rossi – who died by apparent suicide in 2016, two days before being promoted to lead U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command – was murdered rather than taking his own life, alleging Rossi had refused to transfer nuclear weapons to private hands following an incident reported to the Pentagon IG. Army investigators ruled Rossi’s death a suicide tied to sleep deprivation and job anxiety. The @tmbspaceships allegation remains unverified and has not been corroborated by official records. The identity of the account holder has not been confirmed.

The Monica Reza Connection

The Daily Mail reported on March 21 that McCasland’s disappearance bears striking parallels to a second missing-person case in the aerospace world. Monica Reza – a 60-year-old material scientist known professionally as Monica Jacinto at Aerojet Rocketdyne – vanished while hiking on the Mount Waterman Trail in California’s Angeles National Forest in June 2025. She was 30 feet behind a companion when she disappeared. Her body has never been recovered.

Reza’s career intersected directly with McCasland’s. She engineered a nickel-based superalloy capable of surviving extreme oxygen environments without added weight – technology that contributed to the AR1 engine, designed to replace Russian RD-180 engines on United Launch Alliance rockets. Her patented work fell under the umbrella of McCasland’s Air Force oversight: as director of the Space Vehicle Directorate’s materials wing and later commander of the Phillips Research Site at Kirtland AFB (2001–2004), he oversaw the Air Force group that funded early-2000s research on advanced materials for reusable spacecraft and weapons systems.

No official connection has been drawn between the two disappearances. But the overlap – two people linked by classified aerospace research, both vanishing on hikes months apart, neither recovered – has drawn significant attention.

What the Search Has Found

Three weeks into the investigation, the search has produced almost nothing. Authorities have:

  • Canvassed 700 homes near McCasland’s Quail Run Court residence door to door
  • Deployed drones, helicopters, ground crews, and K-9 units across the Sandia foothills
  • Searched McCasland’s regular hiking areas including Elena Gallegos and Domingo Baca Canyon
  • Investigated “mysterious odors” with dogs and horse units
  • Found a U.S. Air Force sweatshirt approximately 1.5 miles from his home – no blood was found on it, and it has not been confirmed as McCasland’s

Lt. Kyle Woods said there has been no indication of foul play and no evidence from McCasland’s electronic devices suggesting unusual circumstances. But he acknowledged the grim reality: “We are many weeks in, and if he were to have gone into the mountains, the likelihood of surviving this time frame would be very low.”

Sheriff John Allen noted that the volume of tips, many involving “outlandish theories, conspiracy theories,” has made the investigation tedious.

Susan McCasland’s Statements

McCasland’s wife Susan posted several times on Facebook to address what she called “misinformation.” Key statements:

  • McCasland did not have dementia and “was not confused or disoriented” – though authorities reported he had experienced “mental fog” in the months before his disappearance
  • His connection to the UFO world came through Tom DeLonge, for whom he volunteered unpaid expertise on military, technical, and scientific matters after retirement
  • “After the Russians hacked John Podesta’s emails, there was less contact with Tom and the community pushing for release of UFO information”
  • “Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt”
  • With “absolutely no sign of him,” she wrote, “maybe the best hypothesis is that aliens beamed him up to the mothership” – before adding that no mothership sightings had been reported over the Sandia Mountains

Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart described McCasland as “a man with some of the most sensitive secrets of the United States” and called the timing of his disappearance – days after Trump’s UFO file release directive – “screechingly relevant.”

Retired FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer offered a different assessment, writing on X that she suspects McCasland may have died by suicide, and that his military background likely has nothing to do with his disappearance.

It is important to note: no official connection has been established between McCasland’s disappearance and any UAP-related activity. The Silver Alert cites medical concerns. Anything beyond that is speculation.

The 911 Call

Audio of the 911 call Susan McCasland Wilkerson placed on February 27 was released in early April, adding new detail to the timeline – and to the question of intent.

“My name is Susan Wilkerson. My husband is missing. And it’s been about three hours, and I have some indication that he must have planned not to be found.”

She told the dispatcher that McCasland had left his phone behind – turned off – changed out of his known clothing into something she could not identify, and departed on foot. All vehicles and bicycles remained in the garage. His smartwatch may or may not have been with him.

“He turned it off and left it behind, which seems kind of deliberate because he’s always got his phone.”

When asked if he had ever done anything like this before, she said he had never done anything “remotely like it.”

The call adds a critical nuance: this was not a man who wandered off in a fog. The deliberateness she describes – leaving trackable devices, changing clothes – suggests planning. Whether that planning points to self-harm, voluntary disappearance, or something else remains unknown.

Sources: BroBible · Irish Star

Burchett: “The UFO Gatekeeper”

On April 3, 2026, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called McCasland “The UFO Gatekeeper” on camera, stating that his congressional sources have identified the missing general as a central figure in the UFO access chain.

“This is a very small fraternity. When something happens to one, the others take note. I was briefed this past week – that group is very nervous.”

The remark came during the same stretch in which Burchett told Newsmax that classified briefings would leave the country “unglued” and flatly stated on another broadcast: “We are not alone.” That a sitting U.S. congressman is publicly labeling McCasland as a UAP gatekeeper – weeks after Trump’s executive order directing disclosure – shifts the disappearance further into the national security conversation.

Source: @UAPJames / X (April 3, 2026)

What Happens Next

If McCasland is found safe, this story ends where it should – with relief. But his disappearance, given his background, has already drawn significant attention from the UAP research community and the press.

UFOUAP is monitoring official channels and will publish updates as the situation develops. Follow our weekly news for timestamped coverage.

How to Report Information

If you have any information about Maj. Gen. McCasland’s whereabouts:

  • Call: BCSO Missing Persons Unit – (505) 468-7070
  • Text: Send keyword BCSO followed by your tip to 847411
  • Online: bernco.gov/tip411

Sources