10 US Scientists Missing: Trump Launches Probe Amid Lawmaker Concerns
The deaths or disappearances of at least 10 prominent US scientists and researchers with access to information pertaining to aerospace, defense, and extraterrestrial life have ignited a controversy, leading the administration to initiate an investigation. Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump received a briefing regarding the deaths and disappearances of prominent scientists, with further details expected to emerge over the next week and a half. Reports indicate that the earliest of the deaths occurred in July 2023. Michael David Hicks, a physicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a focus on comets and asteroids, died on July 30, 2023. The circumstances surrounding his death remain undisclosed. Congressman Eric Burlison, a Republican from Missouri and member of the House Oversight Committee, stated that he has been highlighting certain disappearances for an extended period, as he considers them “too coincidental”.
The lawmaker contended that the outcome for the scientists is nearly “certainly” connected to the access certain individuals had to classified aerospace, defense, and UFO information – and may implicate malicious entities from China, Russia, or Iran. This situation appears to be highly coincidental, warranting further investigation. “It is imperative that our nation’s foremost investigators, including the FBI and all relevant agencies, thoroughly examine this issue,” the lawmaker stated during an appearance on Fox and Friends. It is noted that certain scientists “literally just disappeared” without a trace – including Air Force Maj Gen William McCasland, who went missing in February. The legislator asserted that McCasland attempted to reach out to him on two occasions regarding his investigation into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, commonly referred to as UFOs. Trump characterized the disappearances as “pretty serious stuff” and noted that some of the scientists who have allegedly gone missing or died were “very important people.” The president indicated that further information regarding the cases and any potential connections between them would be available in the forthcoming days. “I hope it’s random,” Trump responded Thursday when queried about any potential connection between the cases.
Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration is “actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist. No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,” her statement continued, previously adding in the post that the questions surrounding the cases are “legitimate”. On December 12, 2025, a researcher from Novartis, Jason Thomas, went missing. His spouse notified authorities of his absence when he failed to arrive home. The recovery of his body from a Massachusetts lake occurred on March 17, 2026. Nuclear physicist and MIT professor Nuno Loureiro was tragically shot dead at his residence near Boston on December 15, 2025. On May 4, 2025, Anthony Chavez, a former employee of Los Alamos, went missing. He was last observed departing from his residence on foot. Los Alamos is home to the nation’s first nuclear facilities. Melissa Casias was reported missing from her residence on June 26, 2025. Casias held the position of administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Frank Maiwald, a researcher affiliated with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, passed away on July 4, 2024, at the age of 61, in Los Angeles. Monica Jacinto Reza, an employee at JPL, went missing on June 22, 2025, during a hiking expedition. On February 16, 2026, Carl Grillmair was fatally shot on his front porch. He served as an astrophysicist at Caltech, engaging in collaborative efforts with NASA and discovering the presence of water in the vicinity of exoplanets. Steven Garcia, a 48-year-old government contractor, was last observed departing his residence in Albuquerque on August 28, 2025. He was on foot and armed with a handgun, with police reportedly cautioning that he could pose a danger to himself. Garcia served in the capacity of a property custodian at the Kansas City National Security Campus, an establishment engaged in the production of non-nuclear components for nuclear weaponry.
