The FBI says it is now leading the effort to investigate a cluster of deaths and disappearances involving scientists with ties to US nuclear and aerospace work. The bureau says it is working with the departments of Energy and Defense and local and state police to examine possible links between at least 10 cases since 2023, per CNN. The cases span unsolved homicides, deaths with no disclosed cause, and missing-person reports, some with no signs of foul play. President Trump has called the situation "pretty serious stuff," though authorities say no concrete links have been established so far.
The White House says it's coordinating a broad review, while the Republican-led House Oversight Committee has launched its own probe, citing "a possible sinister connection" and demanding briefings from the FBI and its partners, as well as NASA. Three of the missing or dead scientists worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including Michael David Hicks, whose unexplained July 2023 death is reportedly among the earlier cases in the bunch, per the Los Angeles Times. His daughter says he had known medical issues and the idea that he's connected to other cases is laughable, per CNN. The space agency says it's "coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies" though nothing so far suggests a national security threat.
Other cases include the June 2025 disappearance of NASA aerospace engineer Monica Reza, 60, while hiking in Los Angeles, and the December 2025 shooting death of MIT professor Nuno FG Loureiro, allegedly killed by the same person who later opened fire at Brown University. More recent cases include the February disappearance of retired Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, who seemingly left his New Mexico home without his phone, and the Feb. 16 shooting death of Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair at his Llano home. A 29-year-old man has been charged with Grillmair's murder.
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