poppy wood
The body of a missing nuclear researcher was found almost a year after she disappeared and after US officials launched an investigation into a series of scientist disappearances.
New Mexico State Police said they had identified the remains of Melissa Casias, 54, who was last seen alive on June 26, 2025.
Casias, who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a nuclear research facility in New Mexico, was reported missing after failing to show up for work. Her keys, phone and purse were later found inside her home.
State police said in a statement over the weekend that his body was found in the McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest, along with a gun.
A hiker in the woods made the discovery, police added, and officials later confirmed it belonged to Casias.
His disappearance has been linked to a series of missing persons cases involving American scientists, which have fueled conspiracy theories on the Internet.
At least 10 scientists linked to sensitive US nuclear and aerospace research are believed to have disappeared or died under mysterious circumstances in recent years, prompting the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to launch a probe in April.
Announcing the investigation, FBI Director Kash Patel said: “We’re going to look for connections… whether there are connections to classified access, access to classified information or foreign actors.
“If there is any connection that leads to nefarious conduct or conspiracy, this FBI will make the appropriate arrest.”
“Pretty serious stuff”
Donald Trump also weighed in on the mystery: the US president said in April that it was “something pretty serious” and that some of the people who had died or been reported missing were “very important people.”
The House Oversight Committee also sent letters to the U.S. departments of Energy and Defense, as well as NASA and the FBI, in April seeking information about “a possible sinister connection between a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances.”
Casias is believed to be the first missing scientist investigated as part of the probe whose body has now been found.
She disappeared after leaving her husband to go to work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the same nuclear research center where she worked. The scientist stated that she needed to return home after forgetting the identification card she needed to access the laboratory.
Casias was last seen by a family acquaintance walking east on a state highway near Talpa in New Mexico on June 26, 2025.
It is unclear whether she owned the gun found next to her body, and police said they were making further investigations.
Other cases being analyzed include that of another former Los Alamos National Laboratory worker. Anthony Chavez, who had retired from his position as a foreman at the laboratory, was last seen leaving his home in New Mexico on May 4 of last year.
Also under investigation are the deaths of two NASA scientists and a space agency researcher, as well as a former senior air force engineer who had been involved in UFO research after his retirement.
The nature of the scientists’ work – spanning nuclear science, astrophysics, aeronautics and extraterrestrials – has fueled speculation in recent weeks that they could all be connected.
It has also proven conducive to wild conspiracy theories, which have variously posited possible foreign interference and even extraterrestrial involvement behind the scientists’ cases.
In a statement reported by New Mexico news outlet KRQE after the recovery of Casias’ remains, her family said: “There will be more information to come, but what we can tell you now is that she was located in a previously searched area.
“This is a lot to process, our hearts are heavy and we fully intend to continue seeking answers so that justice is served.”
The Telegraph, London
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