The FBI has joined the search for retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, authorities said, after the 68-year-old disappeared last week from an Albuquerque foothills neighborhood and a Silver Alert was issued because of medical concerns.
Bernalillo County sheriff’s investigators said they still do not know what McCasland was wearing when he was last seen or where he was headed, and they have not reported any signs of foul play. Search teams have worked for days in the area around Sandia Heights, using ground crews and aircraft while detectives track leads, review tips and ask residents to preserve any security video that could help build a timeline.
McCasland was last seen about 11 a.m. Fri., Feb. 27, in the area of Quail Run Court NE, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities described him as 5 feet, 11 inches tall and about 160 pounds, with gray hair and blue eyes. A spokesperson said investigators are concerned for his safety because of medical issues but have not released details, citing privacy laws. The sheriff’s office issued the Silver Alert and began coordinating search operations, including neighborhood canvassing and follow-up interviews, while asking residents to check doorbell cameras and other systems that might show McCasland walking or riding in a vehicle.
By Tuesday, the effort had grown into a multi-agency operation. Sheriff’s officials said the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office is assisting and that local deputies are working with New Mexico Search and Rescue and with partners at Kirtland Air Force Base. Bernalillo County sheriff’s spokesperson Jayme Gonzales said the FBI’s involvement is standard when the agency has a tool or technique that could help the search. Gonzales said the sheriff’s office remains the lead agency. Sheriff John Allen said search teams are working continuously and coordinating with local, state and federal partners, and he said the department would provide updates as soon as it can without harming the investigation.
The search has focused heavily on the rugged terrain behind the neighborhood, where trails and arroyos run into the Sandia foothills. Residents said deputies, search-and-rescue teams and volunteers have moved through hillsides and ravines while drones and a helicopter made repeated passes overhead. Sandia Heights resident Alex Seyal said McCasland is a familiar face in the community. “He’s a really humble individual and just an impressive, intelligent, friendly guy,” Seyal said. Another resident, Jason Martinez, said he has seen dozens of law enforcement personnel in the hills during the search. Both men said the disappearance has rattled neighbors because the area is well known to local hikers and is not far from busy streets and gated communities.
Some neighbors said details circulating among residents add to the worry. Seyal said McCasland appeared to have left home without items he typically carried, including his glasses, his cellphone and a smartwatch. Officials have not confirmed what he did or did not have with him, and they have not said whether they have found any personal property linked to him. Investigators also have not said whether McCasland was on foot, whether he drove away, or whether he entered the foothills. The sheriff’s office has urged residents and businesses to preserve any camera footage from the area between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day, a window investigators believe could hold critical clues about the direction he traveled.
McCasland’s disappearance has drawn attention beyond New Mexico because of his career in military research and space programs. He served for decades in Air Force and national security roles and retired in 2013, according to his Air Force biography. He commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where he oversaw the Air Force’s science and technology programs and managed a large research workforce. He also commanded the Phillips Research Site at Kirtland Air Force Base and held senior positions tied to space acquisition and special programs at the Pentagon. In Albuquerque, he has been involved with the Kirtland Partnership Committee, a nonprofit that works with the base and the region’s technology and defense community.
Friends and colleagues described McCasland as steady and engaged, making the disappearance difficult to grasp. James Tegnalia, a Kirtland Partnership Committee board member, said he did not expect McCasland to simply vanish. “He’s not the kind of person that you would expect to disappear,” Tegnalia said. Sherman McCorkle, who helped found the committee, said he spoke with McCasland a few days before he went missing and nothing seemed unusual. “I was stunned then and I’m still stunned at this moment,” McCorkle said. The committee said it was grateful to authorities for the ongoing search effort as it urged patience while investigators follow leads.
Online interest has also been fueled by long-running UFO lore connected to McCasland’s past posts. Wright-Patterson, where he once led the research laboratory, is tied in popular culture to Project Blue Book, the Air Force program that investigated reports of unidentified flying objects from the 1940s through 1969. In 2016, McCasland’s name surfaced in published emails involving musician Tom DeLonge and political figure John Podesta, a detail that has been repeated in coverage and on social media. Authorities have not suggested any link between those topics and the disappearance, and investigators have treated the case as a missing person search driven by time and safety concerns.
For now, investigators say their priority is expanding the timeline and narrowing the search area. The sheriff’s office has asked residents to share any video that might show a person matching McCasland’s description, and deputies have continued interviews in the neighborhood. Kirtland officials said they are coordinating closely with local authorities and deferring updates to the sheriff’s office. The FBI has not publicly described its role beyond providing assistance, and officials have not said whether they expect to issue a new update on a set schedule. Search-and-rescue teams have continued to comb the foothills as detectives work to confirm sightings and eliminate false leads.
As of Tuesday night, officials said McCasland had not been located and the Silver Alert remained in effect. Investigators said the next milestone will be a verified lead that narrows where he went after he was last seen, including any confirmed camera footage from the neighborhood or nearby roads.
Author note: Last updated March 4, 2026.