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Over recent years, a troubling pattern of unexplained deaths and disappearances involving prominent scientists has emerged, drawing the attention of internet detectives and even prompting interest from the White House.
Since the start of 2023, at least eight individuals, primarily engaged in space and nuclear science research, have died or gone missing, often under puzzling circumstances. Some of these scientists were also linked to UFO studies.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Fox News reporter Peter Doocy inquired about this unsettling trend, prompting White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to indicate that the Trump administration might investigate the issue.
Leavitt commented, “I haven’t yet discussed this with the appropriate agencies, but I will be sure to do so and provide you with an update. Should these reports be accurate, it is certainly a matter that this administration would consider important to explore. I’ll follow up on this for you.”
1) Michael David Hicks
Death: July 30, 2023
Age: 59
Cause of Death: Not released
Among those affected was Hicks, a distinguished scientist who served at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1998 until 2022, according to the Daily Mail. He contributed to the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) project, which aimed to assess the physical characteristics of asteroids and comets to determine if they could be redirected in space.
2) Frank Maiwald
Death: July 4, 2024
Age: 61
Cause of Death: Not released
Maiwald also worked in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He designed a critical instrument for a project called Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) – Visible to Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR), a future NASA mission to launch a satellite into space and map the “living color” of the earth in far greater detail than can be observed by the human eye, according to his obituary.
Just over a year before he died, he was working on a program to help astronauts on space missions identify signs of life on other planets, including Jupiter’s moon, Europa, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, or the dwarf planet Ceres, the Daily Mail reported.
Tanicia Miller captured the pill-shaped object, later identified as a rocket launch, on August 12, 2025. (Tanicia Miller/Facebook)
3) Monica Reza
Missing: June 22, 2025
Age: 60
Status: Unknown
Monica Reza went missing while hiking in the Mount Waterman of the Angeles National Forest in California. A missing person’s flyer from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said there was concern for Reza’s well-being, and asked tipsters to call 818-248-3464.
Reza also worked for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an aerospace engineer, reportedly overseeing the lab’s Materials Processing Group, which “focuses on developing new materials and advanced manufacturing technologies for spacecraft, specializing in bulk metallic glass alloys and metal additive manufacturing,” according to NASA.
A UFO is seen in the sky. (Obtained)
4) Melissa Casias
Missing: June 26, 2025
Age: 53
Status: Unknown
Casias worked as an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico, which reportedly developed nuclear weapons for the Manhattan Project.
On the day she disappeared, she dropped off lunch for her daughter and was never seen again.
5) Anthony Chavez
Missing: May 8, 2025
Age: 79
Status: Unkown
Chavez also worked at Los Alamos National Labs until he retired in 2017, according to the Daily Mail. He was last seen leaving his house in Los Alamos on foot, with his car locked in his driveway. He did not bring his phone, wallet or keys on his walk.
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard told a New York Post podcaster that she believes aliens could possibly be real. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
6) Steven Garcia
Missing: August 28, 2025
Age: 48
Status: Unknown
Garcia went missing from his home in Albuquerque after leaving his home on foot carrying only a handgun, according to NewsNation. He worked at the Kansas City National Security Campus, which develops most of the nonnuclear components that go into building nuclear weapons.
He had a top secret security clearance.
7) Carl Grillmair
Death: February 16, 2026
Age: 47
Manner of Death: Homicide
Grillmair was a renowned research scientist at Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, which partners with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory providing “science operations, user support, archives and data services, and scientific vision to maximize discovery with observatories both in space and on the ground.”
The Daily Mail reported that he was personally involved in space telescope projects with NASA.
He was shot and killed outside his home. A man named Freddy Snyder, 29, was charged with his murder.
A split image showing missing retired Air Force Major Gen. Neil McCasland in the green, button-up shirt he was last seen wearing and in his military uniform. (Obtained)
8) Air Force General William Neil McCasland (Ret.)
Missing: February 27, 2026
Age: 68
Status: Unknown
McCasland was the former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and had connections with the Los Alamos National Labs, like Casias and Garcia. He reportedly possessed stop secret information on UFOs.
He, too, disappeared in New Mexico. He left his home with only a part of boots and a handgun, leading his phone, keys and glasses, the Daily Mail reported.