Important excerpts below:
The White House and FBI have launched a "holistic review" into 11 scientists tied to sensitive aerospace and nuclear research who have died or vanished since 2024.
Four notable cases are tied to LA County, including Caltech’s Carl Grillmair and three JPL experts—Michael David Hicks, Frank Maiwald, and Monica Jacinto Reza.
Monica Jasinto Reza (NASA JPL)
worked for both NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena (JPL) and Aerojet Rocketdyne. She was known for developing and patenting a specialized type of metal used in rocket manufacturing.
...disappeared while hiking with a friend near Mount Waterman in the Angeles National Forest. According to her companion, they were roughly 30 feet apart when they made eye contact; she smiled and waved to indicate she was fine. Moments later, when the friend turned around again, she had vanished.
her body has never been found. Investigators have noted that her professional past overlapped with other missing figures in the field, including former colleague, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William "Neil" McCasland, who oversaw projects involving her research.
Carl Grillmair (Caltech, NASA JPL)
Renowned 67-year-old astrophysicist at Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC), which partners with NASA. He was famous for discovering water on a distant exoplanet and for his work on dark matter and galactic structures using the Spitzer Space Telescope.
He was gunned down on the front porch of his home in Llano
Authorities arrested 29-year-old Freddy Snyder in connection with the shooting and a nearby carjacking. It was later revealed that Snyder had been arrested months earlier for trespassing on Grillmair’s property while armed with a rifle, though a specific motive for the eventual murder has not been released.
Michael David Hicks (NASA JPL)
veteran research scientist at JPL for 24 years (1998–2022). He was a highly respected physicist specializing in the physical properties of comets and asteroids.
served on high-profile science teams for the DART Project (the mission that successfully redirected an asteroid), the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) Project, and the Dawn Mission.
cause of death was never made public.
Frank Maiwald (NASA JPL)
principal researcher at JPL. He was a highly specialized engineer who designed critical instruments for space missions.
At the time of his death, he was working on the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission, designing a VSWIR (Visible to Shortwave Infrared) instrument to map Earth's "living color." He had also worked on programs to help astronauts identify signs of life on icy moons like Europa and Enceladus.
Died in LA... His cause of death was never made public.
The White House and House Oversight Committee (notably Rep. Eric Burlison) have flagged these (preceding) cases due to the proximity of the scientists to JPL and their access to sensitive aerospace and planetary defense data
Amy Eskridge
. While authorities officially ruled her death a self-inflicted gunshot wound, several factors have contributed to the ongoing public debate and "intense scrutiny" surrounding the case.
Eskridge alleged that she and her team were being subjected to harassment and "psychological warfare" intended to stop her work on anti-gravity and exotic physics at the Institute for Exotic Science.
Nuno Loureiro
Loureiro was the Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center and a world-renowned expert in nuclear fusion and magnetic reconnection.p
Fatally shot ... linked to a suspect also responsible for a mass shooting at Brown University days earlier.
The primary suspect, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire three days later.
Officially ruled her death a self-inflicted gunshot wound, several factors have contributed to the ongoing public debate and "intense scrutiny" surrounding the case.
Jason Thomas
Scientist and director at Novartis > Went missing from his home ... His body was recovered from Lake Quannapowitt in March 2026, three months after he went missing.
Maj. Gen. William "Neil" McCasland (Ret.)
Linked to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) research in the 2016 WikiLeaks release of John Podesta’s emails. The messages highlighted his former leadership of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, a site frequently associated with Roswell-related UFO theories.
The retired Air Force official, known for his leadership at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, went missing from his home in Albuquerque on February 27, 2026.
His phone, prescription glasses and wearable devices were found at home, but his hiking boots, wallet and a .38‑caliber revolver were reported missing.
Melissa Casias
Administrative employee with security clearance at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Disappeared ... after being spotted walking alone in Taos County.
Although her car and personal belongings were found at her home, family members noted that both her personal and work phones had been factory reset.
Anthony Chavez
a retired professional who also worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Disappeared on May 8, 2025.
When authorities and family members searched the 78-year-old’s home, they found his wallet, keys and other personal items left behind inside.
Worked for decades at Los Alamos National Laboratory before retiring in 2017, placing him within the same northern New Mexico defense hub as others who also disappeared.
Steven Garcia
Government contractor with high-level security clearance at the Kansas City National Security Campus.
has been missing since leaving his Albuquerque home on August 28, 2025.
Although police initially suggested Garcia might be a danger to himself after he was seen on surveillance footage carrying a handgun and leaving behind his vehicle and personal effects, sources familiar with the case have disputed claims that he was mentally unstable.
Garcia's disappearance is notable for his proximity to fellow missing official McCasland and his oversight of sensitive assets within the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal.
