The White House's reaction to the wave of disappearances and suspicious deaths of nuclear and aerospace experts
US President Donald Trump's administration may investigate a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances involving US experts involved in advanced research, which has fueled speculation about a possible link between the cases.
Monica Reza, an aerospace engineer, and Air Force Reserve Maj. Gen
The announcement made by the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is one of the first clear signals that these suspicions could be analyzed by the administration, raising the topic from the level of online speculation to one officially discussed at the White House desk, writes Newsweek.
So far, authorities have not established any link between the cases, but some lawmakers have called for a closer look into the disappearances.
On Wednesday, April 15, a reporter asked Leavitt if these cases are being investigated to determine if there is any connection between them.
The press secretary replied: “I have not yet discussed this subject with the competent institutions. I will definitely do it and we will give you an answer. If confirmed, it's obviously something this administration would consider important to investigate.”
Karoline Leavitt/PHOTO: Profimedia
Among the missing is retired US Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, last seen on February 27 near Quail Run Court NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Investigators say retired Maj. Gen. William McCasland disappeared after leaving his personal belongings at home and some of his clothes were found nearby.
In another case, aerospace engineer Monica Reza disappeared while hiking after working on a government project.
The two cases are part of a wider series of disappearances and deaths that have fueled online theories about a possible pattern, including speculation about UFOs and espionage, but authorities have not confirmed any link between them.
“If they are not random acts, then it's modern espionage,” explained Chris Swecker, former deputy director of the FBI.
According to NewsNation, Swecker believes the FBI is already looking into the cases, even though there is no public confirmation.
According to the International Business Times, these are all the missing or deceased persons under investigation:
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Steven Garcia – Government Contractor at the Kansas City National Security Campus in Albuquerque Missing Since: August 28, 2025
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William “Neil” McCasland – retired US Air Force Major General Missing Since: February 27, 2026
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Anthony Chavez – former employee of Los Alamos National Laboratory Missing since: May 8, 2025
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Melissa Casias – administrative employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory Missing since: June 26, 2025
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Monica Reza – director of materials processing at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Missing since: June 22, 2025
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Nuno Loureiro – director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center Died: December 16, 2025 (after being shot on December 15)
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Carl Grillmair – Caltech astrophysicist involved in NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor missions Died: February 16, 2026
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Michael David Hicks – NASA JPL Scientist (DART Project and Deep Space 1 Mission) Died: July 30, 2023
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Frank Maiwald – Principal Scientist at NASA JPL Died: July 4, 2024
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Jason Thomas – Pharmaceutical Researcher at Novartis Died: March 17, 2026
