US Air Force officer lost in 1983 is found

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, authorities said.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said in a statement that William Howard Hughes Jr has been apprehended at his home after a fraud investigation.

He told authorities after his capture on Wednesday that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and decided to leave, saying he created a fake identity and lived in California since he vanished in 1983.

Hughes was 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 dishonourable discharge from the Air Force. Hughes had been involved in classified planning and analysis of Nato’s control, command and communications surveillance systems during the Cold War.