NASA steps into mystery of missing scientists as pressure builds for answers
Lawmaker calls for FBI involvement as White House investigates deaths and disappearances of scientists
Brian Kilmeade reports on the White House investigation into the deaths and disappearances of 10 highly skilled scientists since 2023. Rep. Eric Burlison, a member of the House Oversight Committee, is calling for an immediate FBI investigation. The involvement of scientists in critical nuclear and space research, with some disappearing under mysterious circumstances, has raised national security concerns amid international rivalry.
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NASA said Monday it would work with other federal agencies to investigate the deaths and disappearances of 11 nuclear and space scientists, sparking concerns in Washington about whether the men were targeted for their work.
“NASA is coordinating and collaborating with relevant agencies regarding the missing scientists,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens wrote to X. “At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information when it becomes available.”
Hours earlier, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked the White House press secretary a question on the matter.
Karoline Leavitt later wrote on social media: “In light of recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases and President Trump’s commitment to the truth, the White House is actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to review all cases holistically together and identify possible patterns.”
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Jason Thomas (left), Melissa Casias (center) and Frank Maiwald are among the scientists whose deaths or disappearances are being examined as authorities examine whether any cases are linked. (Fox News: Sierra Casias: Legacy.com)
At least 11 people have either died or disappeared since 2022. The vast majority were related to nuclear science and space exploration; some were linked to the Unidentified Anomalous Events (UAPs) study.
Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; and Carl Grillmair, 47, all died between 2023 and 2026. Each played a key role in vital scientific research, Fox News Digital previously reported.
The causes of death for Hicks and Maiwald remain unknown. Grillmair was shot to death in front of his home on Feb. 16, and 29-year-old Freddy Snyder was subsequently charged with murder. Loureiro was also fatally shot at his home in Massachusetts.
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 13. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
The body of Jason Thomas, assistant director of chemical biology at Novartis, was found in Lake Quannapowitt, Massachusetts, three months after he was last seen leaving his home late at night. Eskridge, an investigator based in Huntsville, Alabama, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on June 11, 2022.
Monica Riza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; Steven Garcia, 48; and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, were reported missing between 2023 and 2026. All of the disappearances occurred under suspicious circumstances.
On Sunday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., warned that “something bad” might be involved.
“We have notified the War Department, the FBI, NASA and the Department of Energy. We want to know everything they know about what happened to these scientists, because these four agencies were predominantly the agencies that these 11 individuals were affiliated with,” he said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “We want to try to bring this together.”
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Comer said he plans to bring leaders from NASA, the FBI and other federal agencies to Congress. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has promised to investigate the incidents.
“I hope it’s random, but we’ll find out in the next week and a half,” Trump told reporters last week. “I just left a meeting about this.”
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita, Max Becall and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
