Maj. Gen. William McCasland is the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In that position, he was “responsible for managing the Air Force’s $2.2 billion science and technology program as well as $2.2 billion in additional customer-funded research and development,” his USAF resume said.
It was a powerful position, and now McCasland has mysteriously disappeared. This led some on social media to draw parallels to the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping. Like Guthrie, 84, McCasland, 68, was a well-known man with health problems who suddenly disappeared in the American Southwest. But beyond that, there’s no indication of any connection, and authorities haven’t said there was any; unlike Guthrie, authorities haven’t said McCasland, who is from New Mexico, was kidnapped, nor has he gotten much press coverage. They had issued a Silver Alert for him.
Like Guthrie, though, the disappearance of William Neal McCasland is a curious case, largely due to his background. It’s not every day that a retired general goes missing. Here’s what’s known about McCasland’s disappearance.
Major General William Neil McCasland was last seen on the morning of Friday, February 27
U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury posted on X on the evening of March 1 that McCasland was missing.
“Bernalillo County has issued a Silver Alert to retired Maj. Gen. William Neal McCasland, a longtime leader in Cortland and former commander of Phillips Research Base and the Air Force Research Laboratory,” she wrote.
Sheriff’s release
(Released by Sheriff)
“He was last seen Friday morning near Quail Run Court in Northeast. Authorities are asking for the help of our community due to medical concerns. If you have any information, please contact the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit at 505-468-7070 or text BCSO to 847411.” It is unclear what those medical concerns are. Bernalillo County is located in New Mexico.
The Kirtland Air Force Base wing said it is coordinating closely with local authorities regarding the missing general.
The Air Force released a statement regarding the retired general’s disappearance.
“We are coordinating closely with local authorities and are deferring all updates on the search efforts to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office,” Col. Justin Secrest, base commander of the 377th Air Base Wing in Kirtland, said in a statement. Albuquerque Magazine.“Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office posted a photo of McCasland’s missing man on Facebook, writing: “Due to his health issues, law enforcement is concerned for his safety.” He was last seen at 11 a.m., and his clothing and direction of travel are unknown.
Who was retired General William McCasland?
McCasland is also responsible for “approximately 10,800 employees worldwide for the Laboratory Components Technology Directorate, the 711th Human Performance Wing and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research,” according to his Air Force profile.
“General McCasland commissioned after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering. He has served in various space research, acquisition and operations roles with the Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office,” the statement added.
“He commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory Phillips Base at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and served as deputy commander of the Ogden Air Logistics Center and the Space and Missile Systems Center. He previously served in the Pentagon, first as director of space acquisition in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and then as director of special projects in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics,” the resume continued.
“General McCasland holds a PhD in aerospace engineering from MIT, where he studied under a scholarship from the John and Fanny Hertz Foundation.”
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This article was originally published by Men’s Journal on March 2, 2026, and first appeared in the News section. Click here to add Men’s Diary as your go-to source.
