New Mexico Department of Public Safety/BCSO
By Joe Edwards
Reporter
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Reports have compared the 2025 disappearance of Steven Garcia, a New Mexico government security contractor, to the February 2026 case of retired Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland.
Garcia’s August 2025 disappearance and McCasland’s case have been cited as part of an apparent broader pattern that includes other deaths or disappearances among experts with ties to defense or advanced research in recent years.
The Context
According to police, McCasland’s last known location was at or near his home in the Quail Run Court NE area on the morning of Friday, February 27, 2026, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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The 68-year-old’s phone, prescription glasses and wearable devices were found at the home, while his hiking boots, wallet and a .38‑caliber revolver were reported missing. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) also noted that he had an unspecified medical condition.
As previously reported by Newsweek, McCasland held high-ranking roles in the U.S. Air Force spanning science, technology and space research, and was a commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright‑Patterson Air Force Base.
What To Know
According to reporting, Steven Garcia, 48, was last seen leaving his Albuquerque home on August 28, 2025, on foot and carrying a handgun; police warned at the time that he may have been a danger to himself, the Daily Mail said.
NewsNation reported Garcia worked as a property custodian at the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) with access inside the facility, which it noted manufactures more than 80 percent of the non-nuclear components for U.S. nuclear weapons.
According to the Daily Mail, citing an unnamed source, Garcia had a high-level oversight role at KCNSC’s New Mexico facility with access to potentially sensitive assets.
Newsweek has not independently verified his employment details and has reached out to KCNSC for confirmation and comment.
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Reporter and podcaster Lauren Conlin told NewsNation Garcia’s case bore similarities to McCasland’s: “It’s like the same thing. The same thing, the state of New Mexico,” Conlin said.
Garcia “oversaw tens of millions of dollars of assets, equipment, some classified, some not,” Conlin said. “I mean, we don’t know what was going on in this guy’s head, right? The officials had said that he may have been a danger to himself. I did notice some neighbors in the area, and he lives in a very remote area. They also worked in aerospace research.”
BCSO previously told Newsweek it was aware of the “speculation” surrounding McCasland’s case, but that it had no verified information establishing any connection between the retired general’s disappearance and any other missing person investigation.
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