Photo: Trevor Paglen | CC0 | Wikimedia Commons
House Oversight Presses FBI, DOE, NASA On 10 Missing Or Dead Scientists In Sensitive Roles
House Oversight leaders are pressing the FBI, NASA and other agencies for answers about ten missing or dead scientists tied to sensitive work. Oversight Chair James Comer and Rep. Eric Burlison have sent formal letters asking the FBI, the Department of Energy (DOE), NASA and the Department of War to brief Congress on eleven named cases. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said officials are working with "all relevant agencies and the FBI" to review the cases. President Trump said he expects answers within about a week and a half.
The congressional list cites scientists and engineers tied to nuclear, space and defense programs, including retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, missing from New Mexico in late February, and JPL materials engineer Monica Jacinto Reza, reported missing after a 2025 hike in California. The list expanded in some reports to eleven by noting the 2022 death of researcher Amy Eskridge. Other incidents include the February 2026 shooting death of Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, with a suspect charged, and several scientists whose causes of death remain publicly undisclosed. The National Nuclear Security Administration said it is "looking into" reports about lab employees, while the FBI said it is aware and is "providing all assistance requested" to local probes. Open-source commentators and elected officials amplified the story online, with OSINT posts highlighting McCasland's Special Access Program ties and lawmakers urging transparency without endorsing conspiracies.
Early coverage, driven largely by Fox News and amplified by figures such as physicist Michio Kaku, stressed an unusual cluster and called for urgent investigations. Subsequent reporting, including a CBS News piece, introduced skepticism by noting there is no unified FBI pattern investigation and stressing that many lab employees hold routine jobs despite public-facing or technical titles. That shift moved the narrative from immediate national-security alarm toward a call for careful vetting of facts amid social media speculation and competing accounts.
National Security and Intelligence
Scientific Community and Defense Research
U.S. Defense Research and Science
U.S. Defense Scientists Deaths and Disappearances
Trump Administration
This story is compiled from 9 sources using AI-assisted curation and analysis. Original reporting is attributed below. Learn about our methodology.
📌 Key Facts
- House Oversight Chairman James Comer and Subcommittee Chair Rep. Eric Burlison sent formal letters this month to the FBI, Department of Energy (DOE), NASA and the Department of Defense demanding briefings and records on 11 specific scientist deaths and disappearances to determine whether any broader national security risk exists; Comer warned "something sinister could be happening."
- News outlets report at least 10 U.S. researchers with access to sensitive programs have died or vanished since 2022; Fox and others say the list has grown to 11 with the addition of Huntsville researcher Amy Eskridge.
- Recent and notable case updates cited across reports: Amy Eskridge (Huntsville propulsion researcher) died by a reported self-inflicted gunshot on June 11, 2022; Caltech scientist Carl Grillmair was shot outside his home on Feb. 16, 2026 (a suspect has been charged); other named individuals in the cluster include retired Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland (missing since Feb. 27), JPL materials engineer Monica Reza (disappeared during a June 2025 hike), Los Alamos-linked employees Anthony Chavez and Melissa Casias, contractor Steven Garcia, Novartis scientist Jason Thomas (found dead in Lake Quannapowitt), and Nuno Loureiro (shot in Dec. 2025).
- Government responses: the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said it is "aware of reports" involving employees at its labs, plants and sites and is "looking into the matter;" the Department of Defense said it has "no active national security investigations" tied to the cited cases; the White House (spokesperson Karoline Leavitt) said the administration and the FBI are reviewing all identified cases together and vowed "no stone will be unturned;" President Trump said he had "just left a meeting," called the situation "pretty serious," hoped it was coincidental and expected more answers within about a week and a half.
- FBI posture: CBS reports the FBI is not currently leading a unified pattern investigation but is "aware and providing all assistance requested" as local investigations proceed; Rep. Burlison said his office referred the Matthew Sullivan case to the FBI and the Office of Inspector General and that the FBI deemed that referral "credible and urgent."
- Experts are divided: prominent voices like physicist Michio Kaku have described the number of deaths and disappearances as "unheard of" and alarming, while other energy security and law enforcement experts and a former DOE official told reporters they see no obvious link and warned against conspiratorial social‑media theories; at least one expert speculated some scientists could have been targeted or quietly removed for protection, presented as speculation rather than established fact.
- Several cases involve unexplained or unusual circumstances — for example, some individuals reportedly walked out of their homes before vanishing, causes of death for others remain publicly undisclosed, and McCasland is reported to have left home with a firearm and boots but without phone, keys and glasses — details that have heightened congressional scrutiny and prompted requests for agency records.
📰 Source Timeline (9)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
April 20, 2026
2:00 PM
Lawmakers demand answers as scientists tied to US secrets die or vanish
New information:
- Confirms that on Monday, Oversight Chair James Comer and Subcommittee Chair Eric Burlison sent formal briefing requests to the FBI, Department of Energy, NASA and the Department of War.
- Clarifies that Comer and Burlison describe current evidence as 'unconfirmed public reporting' and say they are seeking to determine whether any broader national security risk exists.
- Reports the Department of War's response that it has 'no active national security investigations' involving any current or former personnel tied to the cited cases.
- Adds fresh White House reaction: Press secretary Karoline Leavitt says officials are working with relevant agencies to gather more information, and President Trump says he 'just left a meeting' on the matter and calls it 'pretty serious stuff.'
- Provides additional narrative detail on several cases, including retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William 'Neil' McCasland leaving home with a wallet and firearm but no other personal items, and JPL materials engineer Monica Reza disappearing during a California hike in June 2025.
- Notes lawmakers cited possible professional connections among some of the scientists via past Air Force–funded research on advanced materials for space and weapons systems, while authorities have not indicated the incidents are linked.
April 19, 2026
3:19 PM
Comer warns ‘something sinister’ may be behind deaths, disappearances of 11 nuclear, space-linked scientists
New information:
- House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has sent formal letters to the Department of War (Pentagon/DoD), FBI, NASA, and Department of Energy demanding information on 11 specific scientist deaths and disappearances.
- Comer publicly warned on Fox & Friends Weekend that 'something sinister could be happening' and said he plans to bring agency leaders before Congress after they review his inquiries.
- The article names all 11 individuals in the cluster, including their roles and affiliations, tying several directly to NASA, Los Alamos and other sensitive programs.
- President Donald Trump said he 'just left a meeting on that subject,' called the situation 'pretty serious,' and said he expects to know within about 'a week and a half' whether the pattern is random.
- The National Nuclear Security Administration confirmed it is 'looking into the matter' in response to renewed attention.
12:00 PM
String of scientist deaths, vanishings fuels expert talks of shadow ops and silenced secrets: 'Very serious'
New information:
- Fox identifies at least 11 specific individuals who have died or vanished since 2022, most tied to nuclear science, space research, or related work, and names several with photos and role details.
- New case specifics include the February 16, 2026 shooting death of Caltech scientist Carl Grillmair outside his home, with 29-year-old Freddy Snyder charged with his murder.
- Details on other cases include the December 2025 shooting of Nuno Loureiro at his Massachusetts home tied to a Brown University mass shooting, and the later discovery of Novartis scientist Jason Thomas's body in Lake Quannapowitt after he went missing.
- The article reiterates that causes of death for some, including former JPL scientist Michael David Hicks and NASA JPL scientist Frank Maiwald, remain publicly undisclosed.
- It restates that aerospace engineer Monica Reza, Kansas City National Security Campus worker Steven Garcia, retired Air Force Gen. William Neil McCasland, and others remain missing under what are described as suspicious circumstances.
- An expert quoted by Fox raises the possibility that some of the scientists could have been targeted for their knowledge or forced to disappear for their own protection, although this is presented as speculation rather than confirmed fact.
April 18, 2026
11:00 AM
Renowned physicist alarmed by 'unheard of' number of scientists dying or vanishing now on White House's radar
New information:
- Identifies Dr. Michio Kaku as a prominent physicist publicly warning that at least 10 scientists with advanced security clearances have died or vanished, calling the pattern 'unheard of.'
- Provides concrete case details for several incidents, including the Feb. 27 disappearance of retired Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland from his New Mexico home, leaving phone, keys and glasses but taking a handgun and boots.
- Names two additional missing former Los Alamos National Laboratory employees, Anthony Chavez and Melissa Casias, including dates and circumstances of their disappearances and their ties to the lab.
- Quotes NNSA acknowledging that it is aware of reports related to employees of its labs, plants and sites and is 'looking into the matter.'
- Quotes White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming that the administration and FBI are 'actively reviewing all cases' to look for potential commonalities.
April 17, 2026
9:19 PM
What we know about deaths, disappearances of staff at government labs
New information:
- President Trump told reporters he had 'just left a meeting' on the disappearances and deaths and called it 'pretty serious stuff,' while adding he hopes it is a coincidence.
- CBS reports the FBI is not currently leading a unified pattern investigation but is 'aware and providing all assistance requested' as local cases proceed.
- The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration issued a statement saying it is 'aware of reports related to employees of our labs, plants, and sites and is looking into the matter.'
- Retired Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, has been missing from the Albuquerque area since late February and is one of four current or former employees at sensitive sites who have gone missing in New Mexico over roughly the last year.
- A former Department of Energy official told CBS there is no evidence the cases are linked and emphasized that many lab employees hold mundane, non-sensitive jobs despite 'sketchy sounding' titles.
- Multiple energy security and law enforcement experts interviewed by CBS said they see no obvious link between the individual cases and viewed social-media theories as conspiratorial.
7:02 PM
White House reviewing cases of missing, dead scientists for possible links as 11th person identified
New information:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the Trump administration is working with "all relevant agencies and the FBI" to review all identified cases together for possible links.
- Leavitt issued a written statement on X promising that "no stone will be unturned" and that the White House will provide updates.
- President Trump said he had "just left a meeting" on the cases, called the situation "pretty serious," and predicted answers within about a week and a half.
- Fox News reports the list of cases has grown to 11 with the addition of Huntsville-based researcher Amy Eskridge, who died in 2022 at age 34.
- The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration acknowledged awareness of reports involving employees at its labs, plants and sites and said it is "looking into the matter."
5:40 PM
Rep Burlison demands FBI probe after top US scientists vanish or turn up dead
New information:
- House Oversight Committee member Rep. Eric Burlison has publicly called for the FBI and 'every agency' to investigate the cluster of scientists' deaths and disappearances.
- Burlison says his office referred the case of Matthew Sullivan, who died by suicide under what he calls suspicious circumstances, to the Office of Inspector General and the FBI, and that the FBI deemed the referral 'credible and urgent.'
- The piece recounts that McCasland's wife publicly posted on Facebook that he retired years ago and that it is 'quite unlikely that he was taken to extract very dated secrets from him,' injecting skepticism about espionage motives.
- The Fox hit reinforces that at least 10 U.S. researchers with access to top-level secrets have gone missing or turned up dead since 2023, and highlights that several (including Monica Jacinto Reza, Anthony Chavez, Melissa Casias, Steven Garcia, and McCasland) reportedly walked out of their homes before vanishing.
- President Trump is quoted saying he has just left a briefing on the cases, hopes they are 'coincidence,' and will know more soon, but he does not say whether he believes the cases are connected.
3:37 PM
11th scientist death emerges in string of missing, dead officials with access to US secrets
New information:
- Amy Eskridge, a Huntsville-based experimental propulsion researcher who died by reported self-inflicted gunshot on June 11, 2022, is now being cited as the 11th case in the cluster.
- Eskridge co-founded the Institute for Exotic Science and publicly claimed in 2020 that she and colleagues had discovered 'antigravity,' after which she described escalating harassment, threats and sabotage.
- She warned in a recorded interview that researchers who report unconventional breakthroughs can be pressured out of public view or 'disappear' from publishing, and said she felt forced to publish to protect herself.
- The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration gave Fox News a statement confirming it is aware of reports about employees at its labs, plants and sites and is 'looking into the matter.'
- President Trump told reporters he had 'just left a meeting' on the string of cases, called the situation 'pretty serious,' and said he hoped it was random but expected answers within roughly a week and a half.
- Fox names and visually highlights additional individuals in the cluster, including contractor Steven Garcia, Los Alamos–linked employees Melissa Casias and Anthony Chavez, and pharmaceutical scientist Jason Thomas, alongside previously noted names like Gen. McCasland and Monica Jacinto Reza.
April 16, 2026