Missing Los Alamos Scientist Found Dead Amid Probe Into 11 Cases

On Thursday, the New Mexico State Police announced that a hiker in the New Mexico National Forest had found a body that was later identified as one of 11 missing scientists whose work was tied to nuclear secrets or rocket technology. The body of 54-year-old Melissa Casias was found in the McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest. A handgun was found alongside her remains.

First missing scientist is found dead a year after vanishing https://t.co/oxfY9eueu9 via @DailyMail
— Truthseeker (@Xx17965797N) June 1, 2026

Casias was an employee of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and is among a handful of missing or deceased scientists and other officials who have vanished under very mysterious circumstances. The Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) identified the remains as Casias's and stated that it is conducting "further anthropological examination." The State Police also stated that "The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined." The disappearance of Casias, her fellow LANL employee, Anthony Chavez, and others has gotten the attention of the FBI and the House Oversight Committee, prompting investigations into the disappearances by both entities.

Melissa Casias was reported missing after she did not show up at work or return home on June 25, 2025. Her family later found her purse, identification, and cell phones left behind. The House Oversight Committee alerted FBI Director Kash Patel in a letter in April that it was investigating "recent unconfirmed public reporting" that people who had ties to "U.S. nuclear secrets or rocket technology" had turned up missing or dead in the last several years. The letter read in part, "Public reports raise questions about a possible sinister connection between a string of mysterious deaths and disappearances which began in 2023."

In addition to Casias and Chavez, one person is dead, and another is still missing, both of whom were associated with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The mysterious cases also include an MIT scientist working on nuclear fusion, a pharmaceutical researcher, and a government contractor working at a nuclear weapons component production facility. None of the disappearances or deaths have been linked.

JUST IN - First missing scientist, a nuclear lab employee, is found dead a year after vanishing — Daily Mail
— Paul White Gold Eagle (@PaulGoldEagle) June 1, 2026

ALSO READ: House Oversight Chair: 'Something Sinister' About Disappearances, Deaths of 11 High-Level Scientists

A few of the cases have some things in common. They have left their homes on foot without personal items like wallets or phones, and a few have been carrying weapons. Scores of conspiracy theories attempt to link the disappearances to the release of UFO and JFK files, but House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky (R-01) stated:

“It’s very unlikely that this is a coincidence. Congress is very concerned about this. Our committee is making this one of our priorities now because we view this as a national security threat.”

The investigation into how Melissa Casias died and who the gun found near her body belongs to is ongoing.

🚨 11 DEAD OR MISSING SCIENTISTS MAY BE LINKED TO FOREIGN POWERS

Rep. Comer: "I think [scientists should be worried]. All the usual suspects — China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, they're ALL on the suspect list...others could be involved as well!"pic.twitter.com/DeQJ31pa0k
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 22, 2026

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