A series of deaths and disappearances among US scientists draws scrutiny across defence research sector.
A cluster of deaths and unexplained disappearances involving senior scientists and researchers in the United States has raised questions, with several of those affected linked to institutions connected to defence and aerospace research.
Within a nine-month period, nine individuals either died or went missing, including several with ties to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and organisations involved in advanced aerospace and national security work.
Among the cases is aerospace engineer Monica Jacinto Reza, who disappeared in June 2025 while hiking in California’s Angeles National Forest. Despite an extensive search effort, only personal items were recovered and she has not been found. Reza had worked on advanced rocket materials and was associated with projects funded through AFRL-linked programs.
Just days later, Melissa Casias, an administrative staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory, went missing in New Mexico. She was last seen walking near a highway in Taos County and remains unaccounted for.
In October 2025, three deaths occurred in Ohio involving individuals connected to U.S. Air Force operations. Authorities said Jacob Prichard fatally shot his wife Jaymee Prichard before killing U.S. Air Force officer Jaime Gustitus and later himself.
Other incidents include the fatal shooting of astrophysicist Carl Grillmair at his California home in February 2026, and the disappearance of former AFRL commander William Neil McCasland later that month in New Mexico. McCasland’s case prompted a “Silver Alert,” with federal authorities assisting in the search.
Separate cases outside AFRL-linked networks include the killing of plasma physicist Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro in Massachusetts in December 2025, and the death of chemical biologist Jason Thomas, whose body was found in a Massachusetts lake months after he was reported missing.
The incidents span multiple locations known for defence and scientific research activity, including California, New Mexico, Ohio, and Massachusetts. While authorities have treated the cases individually, the concentration of events involving personnel connected to high-level research has attracted public and political attention.
U.S. Representative Tim Burchett has publicly commented on the developments, saying the pattern warrants further investigation. Authorities have not indicated any confirmed link between the cases so far.
