Super-alloy, UFO files and vanishing acts: What links Monica Reza to General McCasland?

Rocket scientist and Air Force general linked to UFOs vanish under similar strange circumstances five months apart

Monica Reza, a US rocket scientist who vanished during a Los Angeles hike eight months ago shared a close professional connection with retired Air Force General William McCasland, who similarly disappeared without a trace in February 2026, raising unsettling questions about the two cases.

Two people. Two disappearances. One deeply unsettling connection.

Monica Reza, a 60-year-old rocket scientist at Aerojet Rocketdyne, vanished on June 22, 2025, while hiking the popular Mount Waterman Trail in Angeles National Forest with two experienced companions. Despite months of searching using helicopters, radar, dogs and volunteer hikers, no trace of her has ever been found.

Eight months later, retired Air Force General William McCasland disappeared from his Albuquerque home on February 27, 2026 — leaving behind his wallet and cell phone, taking only a backpack and a .38 caliber revolver. Thermal drones and extensive searches have yielded nothing.

What connects them? Reza created Mondaloy, a patented nickel-based super-alloy developed under Air Force funding. McCasland oversaw the very Air Force Research Laboratory division that funded her groundbreaking research. “Because Mondaloy is a family of alloys, I worked with the Air Force to scale up production, look at different processing methods and get the material ready for insertion into a rocket engine,” Reza told SpaceNews in 2017.

McCasland’s disappearance came just six days after President Trump announced the release of UFO files — and sources describe the general as a “gatekeeper” and “participant” in the UFO community.

Two experienced hikers. Classified-adjacent careers. Vanished without explanation. Coincidence feels increasingly difficult to defend.

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