Bernalillo County sheriff clarifies missing retired general had no active clearance
Sheriff’s officials said William Neil McCasland held only a retiree clearance, not active classified access, as online theories spread around his disappearance.
Bernalillo County sheriff’s investigators determined retired Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland held only a standard retiree security clearance, not active classified access, and found no support for speculation tying his disappearance to secret Pentagon work, trafficking claims or other missing-scientist cases.
The case remains open, and a Silver Alert stays in effect. Investigators found no known connection to human trafficking, gang activity or similar cases elsewhere. The repairman who last interacted with McCasland was cleared of wrongdoing.
McCasland was last known to be at or near his home in the Quail Run Court NE area of Albuquerque on the morning of Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. A repairman was at the residence and interacted with him about 10 a.m. Susan McCasland Wilkerson left for a medical appointment about 11:10 a.m. and returned about 12:04 p.m. to find him gone. She filed a missing-person report about 3:07 p.m. that same day.
McCasland’s phone, prescription glasses and wearable devices were left at the house. Investigators later identified other items that were unaccounted for, including hiking boots, a wallet and a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster. A gray U.S. Air Force sweatshirt found about 1.25 miles east of the residence on March 7 initially showed no blood, and additional testing was pending.
Search teams canvassed more than 700 homes and asked neighbors for security video, while drones, helicopters, ground searches and canine teams worked the area. Resources from the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and New Mexico State Police Search and Rescue were also used, and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office coordinated with the FBI Albuquerque Field Office when tools, tactics or techniques could help. Search areas included the Elena Gallegos area and Domingo Baca canyon, where warm conditions complicated heat-signature work.
McCasland served as commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory and held Air Force and National Reconnaissance Office roles. The investigative file did not mention the Pentagon in the way online rumors suggested; instead, it showed McCasland had stepped down from retiree-affiliated working groups after saying he was dealing with “brain fog.”
Wilkerson has pushed back on assumptions that he had dementia. She said, “Neil is at some risk, but not from dementia,” and said he was not confused or disoriented when he went missing. Investigators said they had not ruled out whether McCasland is alive, deceased or whether foul play is involved.
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