FBI Probes Mysterious Deaths and Disappearances of Top US Scientists Linked to National Security

The FBI has launched an investigation into a series of deaths and disappearances involving at least ten scientists and engineers with ties to US government agencies over the past four years. The cases, which include retired military commanders, NASA researchers, and leading physicists, have raised concerns about potential threats to national security.

On February 27, retired Air Force Research Laboratory commander William Neil McCasland vanished after leaving his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. McCasland, who previously worked at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base—a site with a history tied to UFO lore—has been the subject of intense speculation. By March, the FBI had joined the search, fueling theories of foul play among conspiracy theorists.

According to Scientific American, McCasland is one of at least ten individuals in similar circumstances. In a statement, the FBI confirmed it is "spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists."

The House Oversight Committee has also taken notice. In a Monday press release, the committee announced it was "seeking information from the Department of Energy, Department of War, FBI, and NASA about the scientists and other personnel connected to US nuclear secrets or rocket technology who have died or mysteriously vanished in recent years."

The committee highlighted reporting that suggests "at least ten individuals who ‘had a connection to US nuclear secrets or rocket technology’ have ‘died or mysteriously vanished in recent years'." Lawmakers warned of a "possible sinister connection between a string of mysterious deaths and disappearances," which could pose "a grave threat to US national security and to US personnel with access to scientific secrets."

Cases Under Investigation

Among the scientists under scrutiny:

• Michael David Hicks, a NASA Jet Propulsion Lab scientist, died in July 2023 from an unspecified cause. He specialized in the study of comets and asteroids. His daughter, Julia Hicks, told CNN she "didn’t understand the connection between my dad’s death and the other missing scientists." She added, "I can’t help but laugh about it, but at the same time, it’s getting serious."
• Frank Maiwald, a space research specialist affiliated with JPL, died in 2024. He authored papers on mass spectrometry and remote sensing instruments.
• Monica Reza, an aerospace engineer and metallurgist at JPL, disappeared while hiking in Los Angeles in 2025.
• Nuno Loureiro, a renowned theoretical physicist and director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was murdered in his Brookline, Massachusetts, home in December.
• Carl Grillmair, a Caltech astronomer who studied distant exoplanets, was shot and killed outside his home near Los Angeles in February.

Other cases involve individuals with expertise in nuclear technology, aerospace engineering, and materials science, all of whom had varying degrees of government affiliation.

Families Seek Answers

The surviving loved ones of the deceased and missing scientists remain perplexed by the sudden media attention and official scrutiny. In a post on Facebook following her husband’s disappearance, Susan McCasland Wilkerson acknowledged his past involvement with the UFO community, stating, "It is true that Neil had a brief association with the UFO community. This connection is not a reason for..." (the statement was left incomplete).

While some speculate about potential foul play or a coordinated threat, others caution against jumping to conclusions. The pattern of deaths and disappearances, however, has prompted serious inquiries from federal agencies and lawmakers.