Mysterious disappearance of UFO-linked Air Force general sparks search

[Mendel]

Sure seems like the press should ask.
I mean, I'm all for respecting someone's medical privacy...but this is an emergency...

How would that help?
Alzheimers patients walk towards water, dementia victims prefer high places, while heat stroke sufferers can usually be found in the dark?
All this means is that, unlike a lost hiker, the missing person cannot be counted on to act rationally.

 

[Gary C]

its not gallows humor. she's unamused at all the conspiracy theories and misinformation when her real life husband is missing.

That's an alternative interpretation, but gallows humor is frequently sarcastic/ironic in tone. Either or both are possible explantation.
Also I did not say it was. Just putting some numbers to the grim reality of the situation she's facing at this point in the search. Law enforcement cannot be expected to maintain this level of effort indefinitely.

 

[NoParty]

I can certainly understand her being very annoyed at false claims being made.

That said, it just seems too soon, while the search is still on, for sarcasm.

It kind of distracts and may confuse some people.

 

[deirdre]

It kind of distracts and may confuse some people.

you mean a bunch of people sitting behind their computers instead of going out there and looking for him? I highly doubt she cares. Or whoever wrote the post cares.

I'm not reprimanding you, I certainly don't expect you to fully understand what the internet and media are like from the perspective of someone in a raw situation. (you personally do understand and care more than alot of people, that is certainly one of good traits!)

 

[deirdre]

Either or both are possible explantation.

no. its not gallows humor.

 

[Rick Robson]

its not gallows humor. she's unamused at all the conspiracy theories and misinformation when her real life husband is missing.

Agreed.
As for "gallows humour", never heard about this term, and not much time passed since I heard "gallows" for the first time (listening to ELP's "Pirates"). Never mind, it's like different strings on the approach to natural science

 

[NorCal Dave]

I know pretty well what you're talking about, except that stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) are very specific to loss of brain function caused by a blocked artery (ischemic) or a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic), which can't even be cogitated about without having available McCasland's actual medical issue report.

We're likely not going to get his medical records, those are private. Prior to his wife's statement, the information available stated a Silver Alert had been issued. The state guidelines make it clear that a Silver Alert is issued when:

...the reporting party only needs to indicate they believe the missing person shows signs or symptoms of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, cognitive decline or impairment, regardless of age.

Reading that a Silver Alert was issued for McCasland, it would indicate the reporting party believed there was some sort of cognitive impairment. That's what triggers a Silver Alert.

If, as Todd's post suggests, he was in good mental health very recently, but is now the subject of a Silver Alert indicating cognitive impairment, a stroke is a reasonable suggestion. They can happen very fast and leave healthy person with physical and cognitive impairments within hours. The impairments can be temporary, permanent or a combination.

The problem is we have the wife saying that while he has some sort of "risk", it's not some form of mental decline. This is contradictory to the New Mexico state guidelines for issuing a Silver Alert. So, we have a conundrum. If McCasland has NO cognitive impairment, then why was a Silver Alert issued?

It's possible the guidelines are just that, guidelines and not hard rules. The local Sheriff may have the authority to issue a Silver Alert for risk issues outside of cognitive impairment and decline. Such as, a missing person that is known to be acutely diabetic and relies on daily insulin therapy or someone in need of weekly dialysis or any other medical condition that requires regular care in a timely manner.

 

[deirdre]

If McCasland has NO cognitive impairment, then why was a Silver Alert issued?

i didnt look at the wording of the bill from last year itself but if they took out the 'irreversible' bit that the website seems to still say.. what is your covid season out there? i got the original strain and had some brain fog, but i don't think i was confused or disoriented. i did have to write down when i took medication because a few times i couldn't remember if i took it or not. of course then i realized i couldnt always remember if i wrote it down or not.. so each morning i laid the daily doses out on a graphed piece of paper. does that qualify as confused? maybe, huh?

 

[deirdre]

bernalillo Sheriffs Office March 6 4:41pm New York time

Article:

Over the last week, investigators at the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office have worked hand in hand with the FBI and other partner agencies, and have so far uncovered no evidence of foul play. We are, however, utilizing all possible resources including advanced technologies, and still considering all possible scenarios as we follow up on leads towards locating Neil. As of today, despite the collective efforts of law enforcement and the community, we still do not know what happened to Neil after he left home on February 27th.
As the investigation continues, we will share verified information with you when possible. Please remember that information other than from the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office is not verified or confirmed. 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.

....
We would also like to remind the public of some hiking safety tips: Pick the right trail for you and your group's ability, remember to let people know where you are, dress in layers, be sure to have enough water and always take your cell phone or some other way to communicate.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/BCSONM

full text:

Spoiler

Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office

Yesterday at 4:41 PM ·

It has been a week since William "Neil" McCasland was last seen at his residence on Quail Run Court in Albuquerque. It is unlike Neil to be out of touch from his family and friends for this length of time; but we have not given up hope. The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office continues to seek the community's help in locating him.
Neil is 5'11" with white hair and blue eyes and is believed to have left his residence on foot. He is an avid outdoorsman and is known to often hike, run, and cycle in the Northeast Heights and the Sandia foothills.
Over the last week, investigators at the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office have worked hand in hand with the FBI and other partner agencies, and have so far uncovered no evidence of foul play. We are, however, utilizing all possible resources including advanced technologies, and still considering all possible scenarios as we follow up on leads towards locating Neil. As of today, despite the collective efforts of law enforcement and the community, we still do not know what happened to Neil after he left home on February 27th.
As the investigation continues, we will share verified information with you when possible. Please remember that information other than from the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office is not verified or confirmed. 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.
We are asking for your help in finding him. We believe there are people who have information valuable to locating Neil who have not yet spoken to law enforcement. This could include people who have been in the Sandia mountains and may have seen Neil or captured him on a GoPro or other recording device, specifically on Friday, February 27 or Saturday, February 28.
Sometimes people have information but do not come forward because they feel it may not be important. Regardless of how insignificant you think your information might be, or whether you think we are already aware of it, please contact us and allow us to make that determination.
If you have any information, text BCSO to 847411 or call our Missing Persons Unit at (505) 468-7070.
We would also like to remind the public of some hiking safety tips: Pick the right trail for you and your group's ability, remember to let people know where you are, dress in layers, be sure to have enough water and always take your cell phone or some other way to communicate.

 

[Gary C]

Regardless of his mental state on the Feb 27, if he has not had access to fresh water he's likely unresponsive at this point.

 

[John J.]

(Edited to add: Spent ages compiling this- I see @NorCal Dave has already covered some of the same ground in post #127, apologies for any redundancy by me).

But the only thing we can certainly discount at this point is the dementia claim.

This wouldn't rule out many other possible causes of cognitive impairment, or changed behavior/ altered affect without cognitive impairment, some of which can occur within hours.

...stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) are very specific to loss of brain function caused by a blocked artery (ischemic) or a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic), which can't even be cogitated about without having available McCasland's actual medical issue report.

Broadly agree, there's not much to be gained in speculating about specific possible medical conditions in the absence of any reliable information, though will add that a person who hasn't suffered a stroke might be known to be at a significantly elevated risk of having one, e.g. having had a transient ischaemic attack or perhaps an incidental finding of carotid bruits. Most strokes present with motor/ sensory deficits, but not all.

The use of a Silver Alert might reasonably be understood as implying that McCasland is at least considered to be at risk of something which might affect behaviour; we know the ostensible criteria for its use. New Mexico House Bill 197 (from 20 June 2025) didn't alter those criteria (as far as I can tell) but removed the criterion of a formal diagnosis being necessary (and a former minimum age requirement),

HB197 relaxes the criteria for the alerts so that the reporting party only needs to indicate they believe the missing person shows signs or symptoms of Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia, cognitive decline or impairment...

"New Mexico lifts diagnostic criteria for Silver Alerts", News from the States, 28 March 2025 https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/new-mexico-lifts-diagnostic-criteria-silver-alerts

I won't pretend to have checked relevant stats, but I'd guess that of men of McCasland's age and professional standing/ intelligence value, many more will have will have suffered from conditions (either temporary or permanent, and of both slow and rapid onset) that affect cognition or behaviour than have been abducted by foreign intelligence agents*, MiBs or hardcore conspiracy theorists.


*Again I haven't done anything like a methodical search, but I haven't found any evidence of US nationals being abducted by foreign intelligence services/ their proxies within the US. There are some probable cases of attempted abductions of dissidents from other nations residing in the US.

 

[deirdre]

This thread is unseemly.

 

[Ann K]

As for "gallows humour", never heard about this term, and not much time passed since I heard "gallows" for the first time (listening to ELP's "Pirates").

Are you serious? Or is English not your first language?

 

[Mendel]

Are you serious? Or is English not your first language?

He's never played hangman as a kid.

 

[Rick Robson]

Are you serious? Or is English not your first language?

Portuguese is my mother tongue.

 

[Rick Robson]

As for "gallows humour", never heard about this term, and not much time passed since I heard "gallows" for the first time (listening to ELP's "Pirates")

ELP's "Knife Edge".

 

[Rick Robson]

This thread is unseemly.

Right on.

 

[NorCal Dave]

This thread is unseemly.

It's a news story and is in the news. Admittedly, it would have been a minor local story in the Albuquerque area if not for the UFO angle from both the Daily Mail and Todd in the OP. It's a news story with UFOs. How is discussing it "unseemly"?

The fact that a Silver Alert was issued, at least suggested, per your post, some sort of cognitive impairment. The wife's Facebook post, if it's her, contradicts this, but also contains a rather flippant remark about him being "beamed up". It's a bit strange. It's also in the news and on Facebook, so it's fair game assuming it's treated politely.

 

[Mendel]

How is discussing it "unseemly"?

Deirdre would be less frustrating to read if she made her points clearly.
Instead, we are left guessing why she finds a thread that she's actively participated in "unseemly".
I've opted to not play these guessing games, they never seem to further the interesting bits of the thread, and feel more like sabotage than anything else.