Ten scientists with nuclear and UFO clearances vanished or died, and Trump just called what’s happening “pretty serious stuff”

President Donald Trump described the mysterious disappearances and deaths of at least ten scientists as “pretty serious stuff,” putting the trend squarely on the White House’s radar. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the administration and the FBI are actively reviewing all the cases and promised to uncover any potential commonalities.

The individuals in question held advanced security clearances, with many linked to classified materials, nuclear research, or UFO investigations. As detailed by Fox News, theoretical physicist Dr. Michio Kaku called the number of high-level scientists vanishing or dying “unheard of.” He told the outlet, “If a scientist disappears, it’s a matter of some concern. But if 10 scientists suddenly die or vanish who all have advanced security clearance with access to sensitive research, this is cause for national concern.” He added that the next step is to determine whether a single common thread ties their research to a specific aspect of national security.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) also confirmed it is looking into the matter, stating it is “aware of reports related to employees of our labs, plants and sites.” Multiple agencies have since indicated they are taking the pattern seriously.

The cases stretch from New Mexico labs to NASA facilities

One prominent example is the disappearance of Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland (Ret.), who went missing from his New Mexico home on February 27, leaving behind his phone, keys, and glasses and taking only a handgun and a pair of boots. McCasland, 68, was the former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory and reportedly held top secret information on UFOs, with ties to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, known for its role in the Manhattan Project.

McCasland is not the only individual with Los Alamos ties to have vanished. Anthony Chavez, 79, a retired lab employee, was last seen leaving his Los Alamos home on foot on May 8, 2025, without his phone, wallet, or keys. Less than a month later, Melissa Casias, another person with connections to the facility, disappeared after dropping off lunch for her daughter. The Kansas City National Security Campus, which develops nonnuclear components for nuclear weapons, also figures into the pattern, amid broader national security concerns covered by experts, Steven Garcia, a contractor there with a top secret clearance, went missing last August at age 48.

Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have also vanished or died. Monica Reza, an aerospace engineer who reportedly oversaw the lab’s Materials Processing Group, disappeared while hiking in the Angeles National Forest in California. Her group specializes in developing advanced materials and manufacturing technologies for spacecraft, including bulk metallic glass alloys and metal additive manufacturing.

Michael David Hicks died on July 30, 2023, at 59, after working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) project, which explored redirecting asteroids and comets. His cause of death has not been released. The following year, Frank Maiwald, also from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died at 61 under likewise undisclosed circumstances. He had designed a critical instrument for a future NASA mission and had worked on a program to help astronauts identify signs of life on moons including Jupiter’s Europa and Saturn’s Enceladus.

Carl Grillmair, an astrophysicist and research scientist linked to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was shot and killed outside his home in February at age 47. A man named Freddy Snyder, 29, has been charged with his murder, a case that drew attention alongside other high-profile murder arrests in recent weeks.

Amy Eskridge, a researcher who co-founded the Institute for Exotic Science in Huntsville, Alabama, died on June 11, 2022, at age 34, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Before her death, she said in a 2020 interview, “We discovered antigravity, and our lives went to f— and people started sabotaging us,” and warned that going public was the only protection against being “buried” without notice.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in an X post that “no stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them.” No official link between the deaths and disappearances has been confirmed.