Officials making an attempt to discredit hyperlinks between basic’s disappearance and his UFO work

Officials and the wife of retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen.William “Neil” McCasland have hit back at speculation linking his disappearance to past UFO research and work with a member of rock band Blink-182.

McCasland, 68, went missing on February 27 after leaving his Albuquerque home on foot around 11 a.m., according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. The avid outdoorsman left behind his cellphone, prescription glasses, and wearable devices. His hiking boots, wallet and a .38-caliber revolver in a leather holster, meanwhile, were missing. Authorities also reported finding a U.S. Air Force sweatshirt about a mile from his home, though it has not been confirmed as belonging to him. A Silver Alert and a multi-agency search that now includes the FBI.

Interest in the case has grown, in part, because of McCasland’s past ties to the UFO research community. His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, said that connection has fueled online misinformation, and denied that he had classified or specialist knowledge about extraterrestrials or UFO programs. McCasland previously led the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Greene County, Ohio, a site which conspiracy theorists have long linked to the 1947 Roswell incident.

“Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt,” Wilkerson wrote on a March 6 Facebook post.

Wilkerson also addressed her husband’s brief post-retirement work as an unpaid consultant for Tom DeLonge, the Blink-182 frontman who founded the organization To The Stars, which produces books, music, and documentaries exploring unidentified aerial phenomena. After political strategist John Podesta’s emails were publicly posted on WikiLeaks, at least one of which mentioned McCasland, NBC reports, “there was less contact with Tom” and the UFO community, Wilkerson said.

“This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil,” she continued.

“Though at this point with absolutely no sign of him, maybe the best hypothesis is that aliens beamed him up to the mothership,” she added in the post. “However, no sightings of a mothership hovering above the Sandia Mountains have been reported.”

Meanwhile, the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office continues an extensive search for McCasland, deploying rescue teams, dogs, drones and helicopters, with the FBI also assisting. Despite these efforts, officials say there have been no confirmed sightings or video showing him leaving the area or indicating a direction of travel.

McCasland is an avid outdoorsman who frequently hikes, runs, and cycles in the Northeast Heights and Sandia foothills. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall, with white hair and blue eyes, and may have been wearing a light green, long-sleeved, button-up shirt when he went missing.

The sheriff’s office reminded the public that any reports beyond official updates are unverified.

“There are people who attempt to develop their own theories based on the limited information available to the public, and this makes finding Neil harder,” the office said in a Facebook post.

Authorities are urging anyone with information or relevant video footage from February 27 and 28, particularly from the Sandia Mountains or his neighborhood, to come forward.

Officials said there is no evidence of foul play, though McCasland has undisclosed medical issues that raise concern for his safety. Wilkerson confirmed online that while he has medical conditions, they are not related to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Source: independent.co.uk