Representative Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican, said he has requested the involvement of the FBI in the “deeply concerning” disappearances of a retired general and a scientist with links to advanced research.
The Context
William Neil McCasland, a retired Air Force major general, was last seen on February 27 at about 11 a.m. in the area of Quail Run Court NE, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department.
McCasland held senior leadership roles in the U.S. Air Force spanning science, technology and space research. His disappearance renewed attention on the unsolved case of aerospace engineer Monica Reza, who disappeared months before while hiking. Reza previously worked on a government‑funded rocket materials project overseen by McCasland.
Any concrete connection between the cases remains unclear. The Sheriff's Department previously told Newsweek that detectives were “looking into this to see if there is any connection at all."
What To Know
“It’s remarkable that General McCasland apparently walked out of his home, left all of his devices and never came back,” Burlison told Fox News. “And Monica Reza, she was on a hike as well and mysteriously disappeared. And I’ve heard of others…
“I sent a letter to the FBI investigating the suspicious suicide of another individual who had worked alongside other whistleblowers like David Grusch and Jake Barber, who had come forward. So their colleague mysteriously committed suicide. We’ve already sent the letter to the FBI to investigate that and that is an ongoing investigation.
“So these are other things that we’ll probably be reaching out to the FBI to see if they have anything going on on these and if not, then we’re going to ask them to do that.”
Newsweek contacted the FBI for comment via email on Tuesday.
Burlison previously said that McCasland has “a lot of information” about unidentified flying objects (UFOs)—a connection that has led to speculation about the nature of the retired general’s disappearance.
McCasland’s wife, however, has pushed back against the notion.
What People Are Saying
Representative Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican, on X on Monday: “The disappearance of multiple scientists and military personnel with ties to advanced research is deeply concerning. I’ve already requested FBI involvement, and we will keep pressing for answers.”
What Happens Next
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI agent, told Newsweek this month that it could take some time before authorities locate McCasland, whom she believes died by suicide.
“It's a needle in a haystack finding an individual in the Sandia Mountain foothills,” she said. “It's impossible for a learned and astute outdoorsman to be found quickly because it’s so difficult, the terrain, and you can't do a grid search.”