NASA confirmed on Monday that it’s begun investigating the mysterious deaths and disappearances of 10+ nuclear and space scientists.
“NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens wrote on the social media platform X.
“At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as it becomes available,” she continued.
The post was published in response to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s own confirmation that the White House is also investigating the matter:
NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists. At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as able. https://t.co/92dTXGAxQn
— Bethany Stevens (@NASASpox) April 20, 2026
The House Oversight Committee has also begun an investigation.
“We’re very concerned about this — this is a national security concern,” committee Chairman James Comer said on Sunday, according to The Hill. “This would suggest that something sinister may be happening. So, we want to see what we can do.”
“Hopefully, with our bully pulpit, we can maybe bring attention to this and have anyone that knows of any information out there, have them contact Congress so we can help determine what’s going on here and prevent this from happening in the future,” he added.
At least 10 people linked to U.S. nuclear secrets or advanced rocket tech have recently died or disappeared without a trace.
The Oversight Committee will be seeking information & briefings from @DeptofWar, @FBI, @ENERGY, & @NASA. @foxandfriends pic.twitter.com/tZqmphv2WH
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) April 19, 2026
As previously reported, several American scientists and researchers have died or vanished over the last year, sparking widespread speculation that at least some of the disappearances might involve foul play.
The newest addition is Michael David Hicks, a longtime NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientist who died mysteriously in 2023 without his cause of death ever being disclosed.
Another addition is Steven Garcia, a government contractor at the Kansas City National Security Campus, which reportedly produces over 80 percent of all non-nuclear components used in nuclear weapons. He was last seen on Aug. 28.
“The 48-year-old was last seen leaving his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on foot, carrying only a handgun,” according to NewsNation.
Reporter and podcaster Lauren Conlin has noted that Garcia’s disappearance is awfully similar to retired Air Force General McCasland’s disappearance. He was last seen on Feb. 27.
“The former general left his New Mexico home with only a pair of boots and a handgun, and did not take his phone, smart devices or glasses,” the Daily Mail reported, adding that he had “allegedly possessed top-secret knowledge of nuclear and UFO-related secrets.”
“It’s like the same thing,” Conlin reportedly said. “The same thing, the state of New Mexico.”
Missing nuclear official becomes TENTH person tied to dark pattern surrounding U.S. secrets –Another person with links to America’s nuclear secrets has gone missing as the disturbing list of deaths and disappearances in recent years continues to grow. Steven Garcia, 48, vanished… pic.twitter.com/gpHL1cpLM0
— CLG News (@legitgov) April 11, 2026
The most recent death occurred last month.
“Jason Thomas, a pharmaceutical researcher testing cancer treatments at Novartis, was found dead in a Wakefield lake on March 17, 2026, after disappearing without a trace three months earlier,” according to the Daily Mail.
Prior to his death was the death of astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, who was killed at his home on Feb. 16 after reportedly being shot on his front porch early in the morning.
Grillmair’s death was preceded by the disappearance of McCasland, who was last seen on Feb. 27.
Months earlier, in December, Nuno Loureiro, a scientist “working on breakthroughs using nuclear fusion as an unlimited energy source,” was killed during a shooting in his Brookline home. Some believe he was assassinated.
During the prior summer in June, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) employee Melissa Casias suddenly vanished without a trace.
Later that month, Monica Reza, a scientist who “had worked on the creation of advanced rocket technology before becoming a director at NASA JPL,” went missing while on a hike in California.
In May, Anthony Chavez, a former employee at LANL, similarly disappeared without a trace — just like Casias.
“The Los Alamos Police Department [said] that the search for Chavez, 79, is still ongoing and no new information in the case has emerged, nearly one year later,” according to the Daily Mail.
A year earlier, in July of 2024, NASA scientist Frank Maiwald died, though his cause of death was never released, and an autopsy was never performed.
