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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading a multi-agency effort to examine whether there are any connections among a series of cases involving missing or deceased scientists and staff linked to sensitive U.S. nuclear and space research facilities, officials said Tuesday.
In a statement, the FBI said it is “spearheading the effort” alongside the Department of Energy and the Department of War, as well as state and local authorities, to determine whether the incidents are connected.
Despite the coordinated review, law enforcement officials and experts say there is currently no evidence tying the cases together.
Background
The cases, which span roughly three years, involve about 10 individuals with varying roles connected to facilities such as NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
They include a mix of deaths and disappearances across several states, including New Mexico, California and Massachusetts. The circumstances range from homicide and accidental death to unresolved missing persons cases.
The issue has drawn heightened attention in recent days, fueled in part by online speculation suggesting a coordinated effort targeting U.S. scientific personnel.
President Donald Trump acknowledged the matter last week, calling it “pretty serious stuff” while expressing hope the cases are coincidental.
Officials close to the investigations have consistently said the cases appear unrelated.
“The deaths and missing persons cases are scattered across several years at different and only loosely affiliated organizations,” said Joseph Rodgers of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “If all of the scientists were working on one project or weapons system, then I’d be more suspicious.”
A former Energy Department official described the pattern as “eyebrow raising” but cautioned against drawing conclusions, noting that large workforces and varied roles make coincidences more likely.
“People do just die. Strokes, heart disease, suicide, mugging — it happens,” the former official said.
The FBI’s expanded role marks a shift from earlier statements indicating it was assisting rather than leading the effort.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Sunday that the bureau would take a central role in coordinating with federal partners.
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration said it is monitoring the situation but did not indicate that any links have been established.
Regulators and law enforcement agencies have not publicly identified any evidence of foreign interference or espionage tied to the cases.
Notable cases
Among the cases drawing attention is the disappearance of retired Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland, last seen near his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in February. Authorities say there is no evidence of foul play, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Several other disappearances have occurred in New Mexico, including individuals with past or indirect ties to federal facilities. Family members in some cases have emphasized that their relatives did not have access to classified information.
In California, aerospace engineer Monica Jacinton Reza vanished while hiking in Los Angeles County in 2025, prompting ongoing search efforts.
Other cases involve confirmed deaths, including Nuno Loureiro, who investigators say was killed by a former classmate in a targeted attack, and Carl Grillmair, who was fatally shot outside his home. Authorities have treated both cases as isolated incidents.
Additional deaths, including researchers with ties to NASA and private industry, have been attributed to personal circumstances, according to law enforcement findings and family statements.
Experts say the concentration of cases has fueled speculation, particularly amid heightened geopolitical tensions and past examples of foreign targeting of scientists abroad.
Scott Roecker of the Nuclear Threat Initiative noted that recent conflict with Iran may be influencing public perception, but said there would be little strategic value in targeting individual U.S. scientists.
“We have thousands of scientists and a robust infrastructure,” Roecker said. “There would be nothing strategic to gain.”
The facilities involved collectively employ tens of thousands of workers, many in administrative or support roles without access to sensitive information.
The FBI-led review is expected to continue as investigators coordinate across jurisdictions and reexamine available evidence.
Officials say the goal is to determine whether any connections exist — while cautioning that, so far, the cases appear to reflect a series of unrelated incidents rather than a coordinated pattern.
