Federal investigation launches as 10 scientists tied to sensitive research die or disappear
At least 10 scientists and 'personnel connected to US nuclear secrets or rocket technology' have died or 'mysteriously vanished' over the past few years.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and White House inquiries are now underway to determine whether the there is 'a possible sinister connection'.
One of the earliest cases was the death of Michael David Hicks, a long-time NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist who died in July 2023 at age 59.
While speculation has grown online about his death, his family says he had known medical problems and doubts there is any connection to other cases.
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In the years following his death, several individuals linked to aerospace research also died or disappeared, such as Frank Maiwald, a space research specialist who died in Los Angeles in 2024, and Monica Reza, a NASA engineer who vanished while hiking in a Los Angeles forest in 2025.
Other cases involve scientists connected to nuclear research facilities like Melissa Casias and Anthony Chavez, both associated with Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
They disappeared in 2025 under circumstances authorities say show no clear signs of foul play.
William Neil McCasland, a retired Air Force major general, hasn’t been seen since leaving his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on 27 February.
The 68-year-old was involved with the Pentagon’s most advanced aerospace research and once worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, said in a Facebook post that 'it is true that Neil had a brief association with the UFO community'.
“This connection is not a reason for someone to abduct Neil. Neil does not have any special knowledge about the ET bodies and debris from the Roswell crash stored at Wright-Patt,” she added.
“No sightings of a mothership hovering above the Sandia Mountains have been reported.”
The FBI said it is 'spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists' and is working with the Departments of Energy and Defense, NASA and local authorities.
Also, the House Oversight Committee said on Monday (21 April) that they had demanded briefings from the agencies on the reports.
"If the reports are accurate, these deaths and disappearances may represent a grave threat to US national security and to US personnel with access to scientific secrets," wrote House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer and Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Eric Burlison.
"We request a briefing on any information regarding these deaths and disappearances, as well as the processes and procedures in place to protect American scientific secrets and ensure personnel safety."
“It’s very unlikely that this is a coincidence,” Comer told Fox News Sunday.
“Congress is very concerned about this. Our committee is making this one of our priorities now because we view this as a national security threat.”
Scientists who have died or have gone missing
Amy Eskridge — Propulsion researcher; co-founder of the Institute for Exotic Science — Dead (2022)
Michael David Hicks — NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist (comet and asteroid research) — Dead (2023)
Monica Jacinto Reza — NASA aerospace engineer — Missing (since 2023)
Frank Werner Maiwald — NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer — Dead (2024)
Anthony Chavez — Retired Los Alamos National Laboratory worker — Missing (since 2025)
Melissa Casias — Los Alamos National Laboratory employee — Missing (since 2025)
Nuno F. G. Loureiro — MIT nuclear physicist and fusion researcher — Dead (2025)
Jason Thomas — Pharmaceutical researcher — Dead (2026; body recovered after disappearance in 2025)
Carl Grillmair — Caltech astrophysicist and NASA collaborator — Dead (2026)
William Neil McCasland — Retired U.S. Air Force major general; former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory — Missing (since 2026)
Topics: US News
Anish Vij