A mystery that began nearly a year ago in northern New Mexico has ended with a grim discovery. Authorities say human remains found by a hiker in Carson National Forest last week belong to 53-year-old Melissa Casias, a Los Alamos National Laboratory employee who vanished in June 2025, NBC News reports. State Police said the remains were located Thursday in the McGaffey Ridge area, about six miles from Casias' home in Ranchos de Taos, near a state highway where she was seen walking the day she disappeared after bringing lunch to her daughter's workplace. A handgun was found next to the body, according to police.
The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator will determine the cause and manner of death. Casias was reported missing on June 26 after she failed to show up for work; her daughter later found her keys at home, along with a cellphone that had been reset to factory settings. Her husband, Mark Casias, worked at the same energy research institution, which helps maintain the country's nuclear weapons stockpile. NBC reports that after Melissa, who worked as an administrative assistant at the facility, disappeared, Mark said he found documents that showed she was under immense stress, though he did not share details.
Authorities previously said they had not ruled out foul play or the possibility she left on her own. "There will be more information to come but what we can tell you now is she was located in an area previously searched," the family said in a statement on Sunday, per People. "This is a lot to process, our hearts are heavy and we fully intend to continue to pursue answers for justice." Casias is among more than a dozen space, defense, and nuclear workers whose recent deaths or disappearances have fueled conspiracy theories, the Guardian reports.
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