Air Force officer missing for 35 years found living in California

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: CNN

Air Force officer missing for 35 years found living in California

By Chris Boyette, Susannah Cullinane and Eric Levenson, CNN

Updated 10:33 AM ET, Mon June 11, 2018

(CNN) -- A US Air Force officer with top-secret clearance who went missing in 1983 has been living under an assumed name in California, according to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Capt. William Howard Hughes Jr. disappeared in July of 1983 after returning from duty in Europe. He was last seen in New Mexico withdrawing $28,500 from his bank account at 19 different branch locations, the Air Force said in a statement. ... Interviews with Hughes' friends and associates and inquiries with law enforcement agencies in the US and abroad failed to locate him, the statement said, and he was formally declared a deserter on December 9, 1983.

Then just a few days ago, the mystery that began more than three decades ago came to an end. ... On June 5, during a passport fraud investigation, the US Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service interviewed an individual claiming to be Barry O'Beirne. After being confronted with inconsistencies about his identity, the individual admitted his true name was William Howard Hughes Jr., and that he deserted from the US Air Force in 1983," the Air Force said.

"Capt. Hughes claimed that in 1983 he was depressed about being in the Air Force so he left, created the fictitious identity of O'Beirne and has been living in California ever since."


Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/11/us/missing-airman-william-howard-hughes-jr/index.html

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Missing Air Force officer with top-secret clearance found after 35 years

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/391620-air-force-officer-with-top-secret-clearance-found-35-years-after

BY JUSTIN WISE - 06/11/18 09:53 AM EDT

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Give him bonus points for not turning up as a traitor

nyet?

[Bengus81]

2. LOL...."Howard" Hughes

Boy...peeps with that name have a tendency to just disappear and then show up.

[OnlinePoker]

3. This is too funny

I did a search for him on Open Secrets. He did two donations to a Republican candidate in 91 and 92. Take a look at his occupation in 92.

https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=barry+o%27beirne

On edit - not sure if it's the same person or not, but it is kind of coincidental.

[sweatlee]

4. Fibber McGee had a closet that was so full that it avalanched

on to whoever happened to open it. radio late 40's

[underpants]

5. The withdrawal reminds of Shawshank Redemption

I must have missed that there was a question about Challenger being sabotaged