A U.S. Air Force deserter who went missing in 1983 was found last week living in California under a fictitious name .
Capt. William Howard Hughes Jr. admitted last week to using the assumed name Barry O’Beirne for more than three decades. Hughes’ confession came after he was questioned on June 5 by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service about suspected passport fraud.
“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 in a statement.
Hughes was taken into custody Wednesday by Agents at the Travis Air Force Base after being arrested at his California home.
“At the time of his disappearance Capt. Hughes had a Top Secret/Single Scope Background Investigation clearance, but only had access to U.S. Secret and North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secret information,” the Air Force said.
Hughes was last seen when he was dispatched to the Netherlands on July 18, 1983 to work alongside NATO officers. He was officially declared a deserter by the Air Force on Dec. 9, 1983. He told investigators last week that he left the Air Force in 1983 because he was depressed.
According to the CNN, Hughes’ disappearance sparked conspiracy theories that he was either abducted by the Soviet Union or defected to work with them.
