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The unsettling pattern of American scientists and laboratory employees either dying or disappearing has expanded with two new cases added to this troubling narrative. Among these, the passing of NASA scientist Frank Maiwald stands out, shrouded in mystery. Maiwald, aged 61, reportedly died on July 4, 2024, in Los Angeles, though the circumstances surrounding his death remain undisclosed, with no autopsy conducted.
Maiwald was a distinguished figure at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he contributed significantly since 1999. His work focused on pioneering satellite technology with the capability to survey Earth and distant celestial bodies. His contributions were pivotal, particularly in the realm of advanced space exploration.
In June 2023, just over a year before his untimely demise, Maiwald led a groundbreaking research project that promised to enhance future space missions’ ability to identify unmistakable signs of life on extraterrestrial moons and planets. This included exploring intriguing prospects like Jupiter’s moon Europa, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, and the dwarf planet Ceres.
Despite Maiwald’s prestigious status as a JPL Principal—a title reserved for those who make exceptional contributions in their respective fields—NASA has remained silent about the details of his death. The absence of a public statement from the agency adds to the mystery, with an online obituary being the sole acknowledgment of his passing.
Despite Maiwald being a JPL Principal, an award given to scientists ‘making outstanding individual contributions’ in their fields, NASA has never commented publicly on the scientist’s death, and the only public record marking his passing was an obituary posted online.
Meanwhile, another mysterious disappearance has come to light at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), one of America’s key nuclear research facilities, bringing the total number of unexplained incidents to eight since July 2024.
Anthony Chavez, a former employee at LANL until his retirement in 2017, vanished without a trace on May 4, 2025 – just seven weeks before a key assistant at the same lab disappeared.
The Los Alamos Police Department told Daily Mail that the search for Chavez, 79, is still ongoing and no new information in the case has emerged, nearly one year later.Â
Frank Maiwald (Pictured) was a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory before his death in 2024. His cause of death has not been revealed and NASA has not commented on the loss
The Daily Mail has reached out to Maiwald’s family and the County of Los Angeles for comment on the circumstances surrounding Maiwald’s untimely death.Â
Strangely, the online obituary set up for Maiwald did not mention any health issues before the 61-year-old’s death, and NASA JPL would neither confirm nor deny that Maiwald had been employed there for decades despite records of his achievements listed on their website.
Meanwhile, Chavez was last seen leaving his home in the Denver Steels neighborhood of Los Alamos on foot.
The longtime LANL employee left his car locked in the driveway, and did not take his wallet, keys or other personal items, which were all found inside Chavez’s home.
Although friends considered him an avid hiker, investigators noted that Chavez was not dressed for a long outdoor walk and did not take a phone with him in case of emergency.
LANL has not returned the Daily Mail’s request for comment on the nature of Chavez’s work at the high-security nuclear lab.
The facility was founded by the famed Manhattan Project during World War II. It has been tied to nuclear weapons research ever since, and one woman feared to possess those secrets is also missing.
Melissa Casias, 54, who was believed to have security clearance for sensitive information at LANL, vanished without a trace under nearly identical circumstances just two months later.
Anthony Chavez (Pictured) was an employee at the Los Alamos National Laboratory until 2017. He disappeared without a trace in May 2025
Melissa Casias (Pictured) was last seen walking alone in New Mexico after dropping off her husband at work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, but not reporting for work herself
Her family said she uncharacteristically decided to work from home on the day of her disappearance, but was last spotted miles from their house walking alone without her wallet, phone or keys.
Moreover, the administrative assistant’s personal and work phones were both found inside the Casias’ home, wiped clean after someone performed a factory reset on them.
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told the Daily Mail that even employees who do not work directly on top-secret scientific research could be targeted by foreign spy agencies, as they often have access to the same information nuclear scientists do.
‘In a classified lab, or just a high clearance lab, they would basically be in the know on what’s going on,’ Swecker said. ‘And it wouldn’t be the first time their administrative assistant has been targeted.’
‘I think you have to pull out all the resources necessary to look for links and look for potential espionage activities. That’s where you start,’ Swecker recommended.
The counterintelligence expert’s warning came after another member of NASA JPL vanished without a trace last year.
Monica Reza, JPL’s Director of the Materials Processing Group, disappeared just four days before Casias while hiking with friends in California’s Angeles National Forest.
Along with working in the same high-profile NASA lab as Maiwald, Reza has also been directly tied to the disappearance of retired Air Force General William Neil McCasland, who oversaw her work creating a revolutionary new metal for missiles and rocket engines.
McCasland, who allegedly possessed top-secret knowledge of nuclear and UFO-related secrets, was last seen on February 27, 2026, vanishing in nearly the same manner as Chavez and Casias.
The former general left his New Mexico home with only a pair of boots and a handgun, and did not take his phone, smart devices or glasses.
Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett said: ‘There have been several others throughout the country that have disappeared under suspicious circumstances. I think we ought to be paying attention to it.’
Monica Reza (Pictured) went missing during a hike in California in June 2025. Reza had worked on the creation of advanced rocket technology before becoming a director at NASA JPL
Retired Air Force General William Neil McCasland, 68, was last seen near Quail Run Court NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February 2026
Along with this growing list of missing person cases, Burchett referenced the string of recent deaths and murders among America’s scientific elite.
Since Maiwald died in 2024, three other scientists have died, including another respected researcher tied to NASA and JPL.Â
Astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, was killed at his home on February 16, 2026, after being shot on his front porch around 6am local time.
Before his murder, the California Institute of Technology researcher’s work was heavily supported by NASA JPL, and Grillmair was personally involved with major space telescope missions led by NASA.
The scientist also worked on the NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor, infrared telescope projects that track asteroids but use the same physics as military systems for tracking satellites and hypersonic missiles.
These dual-use infrared sensors fell under McCasland’s supervision while the general was in charge of the Air Force Research Lab’s space surveillance work.
Two other respected researchers in Massachusetts have been found dead since December 2025. Nuno Loureiro, who was working on breakthroughs using nuclear fusion as an unlimited energy source, was shot dead in his Brookline home last year.
Meanwhile, Jason Thomas, a pharmaceutical researcher testing cancer treatments at Novartis, was found dead in a Wakefield lake on March 17, 2026 after disappearing without a trace three months earlier.
‘You can say these are all suspicious,’ Swecker said, ‘and these are scientists who have worked in critical technology.’