Authorities say an Air Force officer with top security clearance who disappeared in New Mexico 35 years ago has been found in California after using a false name for decades.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations says in a statement that William Howard Hughes Jr. has been apprehended at his home after a fraud investigation.
He told authorities after his capture Wednesday that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and decided to leave. He says he created a fake identity and lived in California since he vanished in 1983.
Hughes has been charged with desertion and is being held at Travis Air Force Base in California. He could face up to five years of confinement, forfeiture of all pay and dishonorable discharge from the Air Force.
Air Force officer who vanished in 1983 found in California with fake ID
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