‘Very unlikely this is a coincidence’: FBI investigates after 10 scientists tied to nuclear secrets die or vanish

A federal investigation is underway into the deaths and disappearances of at least 11 scientists and researchers with ties to US nuclear secrets, aerospace technology, and national defense programs. The FBI and the White House are leading an effort to determine whether a common thread connects these incidents, which span several years. The House Oversight Committee has demanded briefings from multiple agencies to assess potential threats to national security, as detailed by LADbible.

The timeline stretches back to 2022 and includes individuals associated with NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, MIT, and Caltech. Many were involved in highly specialized fields including asteroid characterization, nuclear research, and advanced materials development for space travel and weaponry. Because the expert community in these areas is relatively small, the pattern of deaths and disappearances has become impossible to ignore.

One of the cases involves William Neil McCasland, a 68-year-old retired Air Force major general who vanished from his Albuquerque, New Mexico home on February 27, 2026. McCasland had a background in advanced aerospace research and previously worked at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, confirmed in a Facebook post that while her husband had a brief association with the UFO community, she dismissed it as a motive, adding that he had no special knowledge of Roswell crash debris or stored extraterrestrial remains.

These cases are concentrated enough to raise serious national security flags

The disappearances of Anthony Chavez and Melissa Casias from Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2025 remain equally unresolved. In those cases, individuals vanished under circumstances showing no clear signs of foul play, often leaving behind cars, keys, wallets, and phones. Monica Reza, a NASA engineer and director of the materials processing group at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also vanished in 2025 while hiking near Los Angeles. She had patented a nickel super-alloy used in space travel and weapons systems, research that contributed to reusable rocket programs.

On April 20, 2026, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Subcommittee Chairman Eric Burlison sent letters to the FBI, the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and NASA requesting staff-level briefings. Amid broader congressional scrutiny of national security incidents involving political figures, the committee pressed agencies to explain how they are protecting scientific secrets and the safety of personnel. During an appearance on April 21, 2026, Comer stated that the committee views these events as a priority, saying: “It’s very unlikely that this is a coincidence.”

The FBI has confirmed it is leading the investigation into whether these cases share commonalities, including access to classified information or foreign actor involvement. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau is coordinating with energy and defense departments and will make arrests if evidence of nefarious conduct or conspiracy is found. On April 15, 2026, the White House acknowledged the pattern, with the press secretary confirming the administration is actively working with relevant agencies to review the cases holistically.

The list of affected individuals also includes Amy Eskridge, co-founder of the Institute for Exotic Science, who died in 2022, and Michael David Hicks, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist who died in July 2023. Pharmaceutical researcher Jason Thomas was found dead after disappearing, and Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair was found shot dead earlier in 2026. While some families have pointed to known medical conditions, the concentration of cases within such a specialized field has driven widespread concern, as highlighted by Fortune.

Investigators have also turned their attention to the intersection of private commercial space ventures and government defense contracts, with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin holding billions in national security contracts. The role these scientists played in developing foundational technologies has become a focal point. Amid broader West Bank violence drawing international attention, the government is working to determine whether the loss of these experts represents isolated tragedy or a coordinated effort to undermine American scientific progress.