The mysterious death of a NASA nuclear engineer has resurfaced in public discussion as the nation grapples with a troubling string of 11 scientists who have gone missing.

Joshua LeBlanc, aged 29, was discovered in a tragic state, burned beyond recognition inside his 2021 Tesla Model 3 in Huntsville, Alabama. The incident occurred on July 22 of last year, according to reports from local authorities.

The timeline of events is quite unsettling. LeBlanc’s family had reported him missing at 4:32 AM Eastern Time on the day of the accident. It wasn’t until nearly 10 hours later, at 2:45 PM, that his car was located.

Investigators managed to piece together his last movements thanks to footage from his Tesla’s Sentry Mode. The recordings showed that his vehicle had been parked at Huntsville airport for close to four hours on the morning of his untimely death.

The vehicle was found after it had collided with a guardrail and several trees before erupting into flames, adding a layer of mystery to an already puzzling case.

The engineer’s body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, which took three days to identify due to the severity of the burns.

Family members said the sudden trip was never planned and told Louisiana news site KLFY that it was unlike him to go silent without updating them. 

At the time of his disappearance, relatives told KLFY they suspected he may have been abducted from his home, noting that his phone and wallet were still inside the house. 

Brittany Fox, a friend of LeBlanc, told the Daily Mail that neither she nor his family has been contacted by authorities about any investigations since the accident. 

Joshua LeBlanc, 29, was found burned beyond recognition in the wreckage of his 2021 Tesla Model 3 on July 22, 2025 in Huntsville, Alabama

The vehicle slammed into a guardrail and several trees before bursting into flames

According to LeBlanc’s LinkedIn page, he began working as an aerospace technologies electrical engineer at NASA in October 2019.

Electrical engineers in NASA’s Aerospace Technology (AST) roles design, develop and test hardware and software used in spacecraft, satellites and ground support systems. 

Specialists in this field also play key roles in emerging technologies, including nuclear propulsion systems tied to deep space missions and the agency’s Moon to Mars initiatives.

Fox posted on Facebook on July 24 last year saying: ‘We believe there is a chance he may have been abducted from the apartment and intend to keep searching.

‘Tesla has been contacted numerous times to release [the] Sentry data, but the process has been slow. This story has too many holes in it and so many potential cameras to catch what happened.’

The Daily Mail has contacted the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency for comment.

Following the news of LeBlanc’s death, many of his former colleagues shared their memories of the scientist online, with one telling how LeBlanc helped provide him with transportation when they were on an out-of-state conference even though they had just met.

‘He will be remembered and missed amongst his colleagues,’ the post read. 

A former roommates of LeBlanc’s also wrote that ‘the passion that Josh had for space was inspirational, further driving my own search for a dream career. The love for the outdoors (beach included) enabled me to become more closely integrated with his friend group. 

‘His revelry was infectious and shifted from singing Outkast to sea shanties. These reasons and more are why I am so grateful to have known Josh and why he will be deeply missed. Fly high in the friendly sky,’ the former roommate wrote.

Another friend said LeBlanc ‘wasn’t afraid of who he was.’

‘This man helped me get through so much emotional growth and has helped me become the person I am today,’ the friend wrote.

LeBlanc’s death has resurfaced as a growing number of unexplained deaths and disappearances involving scientists continues to draw attention nationwide.

At the time of his disappearance, relatives told local KLFY they suspected foul play, noting that his phone and wallet were still inside the house

Lawmakers sent letters on Monday to the Pentagon, FBI, NASA and Department of Energy demanding a sweeping investigation into the mysterious disappearances and deaths of nearly a dozen top US scientists, citing national security concerns. 

Several individuals with ties to NASA, nuclear research, aerospace programs and defense-related work have vanished or died in recent years. Some observers have pointed to their access to sensitive projects as a reason the cases have attracted heightened scrutiny.

Among them is scientist Amy Eskridge, who had been researching anti-gravity technology before her death.

Eskridge was 34 when she allegedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Huntsville, Alabama, on June 11, 2022, the same city where LeBlanc later died.

NASA-affiliated researchers Michael David Hicks and Frank Maiwald, both of whom worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, also died in recent years.

Hicks died in 2023 at age 59 after previously contributing to NASA’s DART mission, a project designed to test whether humans could deflect potentially dangerous asteroids.

Maiwald, 61, had served as lead researcher on technology aimed at helping future missions detect signs of life beyond Earth before his death in 2024.

In another case, pharmaceutical researcher Jason Thomas, who was working on cancer treatments at Novartis, was found dead in a Massachusetts lake on March 17, 2026.

Several individuals who disappeared have also drawn attention due to connections to retired Air Force General William Neil McCasland, who previously oversaw the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Nuclear research workers Steven Garcia, 48, Anthony Chavez, 78, Melissa Casias, 53, and NASA scientist Monica Reza, 60, have all been linked to projects connected to McCasland’s leadership.

Elsewhere, physicist Nuno Loureiro, 47, was shot and killed at his home in the Boston suburb of Brookline on December 15, 2025. Authorities identified the suspected gunman as Claudio Neves Valente, a former classmate from Portugal.

Astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, was also fatally shot at his home in California on February 16, 2026, after being attacked on his front porch around 6am local time.

In a dramatic twist of fate, Mark Vientos transformed from the evening’s scapegoat to its savior, as the Mets clinched a 3-2 victory over the Twins on Wednesday, snapping their 12-game losing skid.

Initially, Vientos found himself in hot water after a glaring baserunning blunder. Ignoring third base coach Tim Leiper’s clear signal to halt, he charged ahead on Marcus Semien’s sixth-inning double, which landed in the gap during a deadlocked game.

This misstep led to his being tagged out by a wide margin, prematurely closing the inning.

However, redemption came in the eighth inning when Vientos struck a pivotal, game-winning single, a soft hit to right field that brought Brett Baty home.

“I’m thrilled he got that hit,” Carlos Mendoza remarked, grinning as he reflected on the turn of events.

Vientos made no apologies for his gaffe on the bases.

“My instinct was once the ball was off the wall, I was gonna score,’’ Vientos said.

Vientos, part of a lineup that has floundered for much of the season, said he saw Leiper put up the stop sign but ignored it.

“We want to make the right play, but I’m always gonna be aggressive,’’ Vientos said. “I’m not gonna play passive on the field. I’d rather make a mistake aggressively than [passively].’’

After flopping as the closer for the Yankees a year ago, Devin Williams looks to be doing the same thing on the other side of town this season.

But even after a three-appearance stretch in which he allowed seven runs, four walks and six hits in just 1 ¹/₃ innings while blowing a save and taking the loss in another, Mendoza said Wednesday he is not considering pulling Williams from the role.

“I know he’s going through it right now, but as I’m sitting here, we haven’t had that discussion,’’ Mendoza said prior to the Mets win.

Williams, who had pitched twice in three days, was unavailable Wednesday, so Luke Weaver got the final four outs.

Asked why he remains confident that Williams — who was pulled from the ninth-inning job in late April with the Yankees and then again in August — can overcome his current struggles, Mendoza said, “He’s done it before.”

Still, after Williams was yanked as closer in the second half of last season and had some success in a setup role, he didn’t get it back.

But Mendoza hasn’t given up on Williams, who signed a three-year, $51 million deal in the offseason even after his rough showing in The Bronx.

“It’s the nature of the business,’’ Mendoza said of Williams’ recent poor results. “You’re gonna go through stretches when it’s hard and you find a way to get back on track. There’s gonna be adversity, [there’s] gonna be stretches you’re not at your best and he’s done that before a few times. That’s what gives me confidence he’ll get there again.”

A.J. Minter continued his rehab assignment Wednesday with his first appearance with Triple-A Syracuse, as the lefty comes back from lat surgery that cost him most of 2025.

He allowed three hits and a run in his one inning and didn’t strike out or walk any batters.

Mendoza said Tuesday that the 32-year-old would likely need two more weeks of rehab games to get accustomed to pitching on back-to-back days again.

Austin Warren was still stunned Wednesday about the odd reaction he got from the small number of fans that remained at Citi Field in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s loss, when the right-hander replaced Williams with the bases loaded and left them stranded by striking out the next three batters.

The crowd repeatedly chanted “MVP” as Warren piled up the strikeouts and kept it a two-run game.

“I was absolutely [surprised],’’ Warren said. “I’m sure everyone heard all the boos and I’m glad I could go in there and flip the switch a little bit and keep them on our side.”

The cheers began as soon as the threw a strike to Royce Lewis.

“I was like, ‘What’s going on?’’ Warren said. “I’m glad it went well and I could strand runners for Devin.”

The 30-year-old right-hander is in his second year with the Mets after being claimed off waivers from the Giants prior to last season.

“I feel I proved some people wrong with that kind of game,’’ Warren said. “I’ve always been an up-and-down [to the minors] guy since my debut. It sucks losing, but it feels good to do that.”