William Howard Hughes

William Howard Hughes, Jr. (born c. 1951) is a United States Air Force captain who disappeared on July 19, 1983 and declared a deserter on December 9, 1983. In June 2018, he was found living in Daly City, California and was arrested by the Office of Special Investigations.

Early life
Hughes was raised in Seattle, and enlisted in the Air Force in 1973, subsequently commissioned as an officer in 1976 and attaining a master's degree in 1979 from Air Force Institute of Technology. At the time of his disappearance, he owned a house in Albuquerque.

Disappearance and discovery
Hughes disappeared on July 19, 1983 when he was supposed to return from a Temporary Duty (TDY) in Europe. After his disappearance there were theories that he was abducted or defected. The Air Force declared him a deserter on December 9, 1983. The Seattle Times reported in 1984 that the classification was made "primarily for administrative purposes".

In June 2018, as a result of a passport fraud inquiry, he was found living in Daly City, California and was arrested by the Office of Special Investigations on charges of desertion. He is being held at Travis Air Force Base in California. He had returned to the United States and begun living under an assumed name, Barry "Tim" O'Beirne. Hughes told authorities after his capture that he was depressed about being in the Air Force and decided to leave. For this purpose, he created a fake identity and lived in California.