String of scientist deaths, vanishings fuels expert talks of shadow ops and silenced secrets: 'Very serious'

Nearly a twelve mysterious deaths and disappearances of high-level scientists passim the United States is raising eyebrows arsenic 1 adept suggests the individuals whitethorn person been targeted for their cognition oregon forced to vanish for their ain protection. 

At slightest 11 radical person either died oregon vanished since 2022, with the immense bulk progressive successful researching atomic subject and abstraction – and immoderate connected to UFO studies. 

Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; and Carl Grillmair, 47, each died betwixt 2023 and 2026, with each idiosyncratic playing a cardinal relation successful captious technological research. 

While Hicks and Maiwald’s origin of deaths stay unknown, Grillmair was gunned down extracurricular his location connected Feb. 16, 2026. Freddy Snyder, 29, was charged with his murder.

MYSTERY CLOUDS DEATHS, DISAPPEARANCES OF SCIENTISTS WITH UFO RESEARCH TIES: TIMELINE

Carl Grillmair, 47, a probe idiosyncratic astatine Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, was fatally changeable extracurricular his location Feb. 16, 2026, successful what authorities person ruled a homicide.  (Caltech)

Frank Maiwald, 61, a idiosyncratic astatine NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died July 4, 2024, authorities said. The origin of decease has not been released. (Obituary)

Jason Thomas, 45, an subordinate manager of chemic biology astatine pharmaceutical institution Novartis, was reported missing successful December 2025 aft leaving his location successful Wakefield, Massachusetts, precocious astatine night.  (Wakefield Police Department)

Loureiro was besides changeable astatine his Massachusetts home, and died from his injuries 1 time aboriginal connected Dec. 15, 2025. His decease was linked to a abstracted wide shooting astatine Brown University. 

The assemblage of Thomas, an subordinate manager of chemic biology astatine pharmaceutical institution Novartis, was discovered successful Lake Quannapowitt, Massachusetts 3 months aft helium was past seen walking from his location precocious astatine night.  

Eskridge, a Huntsville, Alabama–based researcher, died June 11, 2022, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

McCasland antecedently commanded Kirtland Air Force Base's Phillips Research Site and Air Force Research Laboratory. (Kirtland Air Force Base )

Monica Reza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; Steven Garcia, 48; and retired Air Force General William Neil McCasland, 68, were each reported missing passim 2023 to 2026, with each of their disappearances occurring nether suspicious circumstances.

RETIRED GENERAL WHO ONCE LED AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY GOES MISSING

Michael David Hicks, 59, a idiosyncratic who worked astatine NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1998 to 2022, died July 30, 2023, authorities said.  (Fox News)

Monica Reza, 60, an aerospace technologist astatine NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was reported missing June 22, 2025, aft disappearing portion hiking successful the Mount Waterman country of the Angeles National Forest successful California.  (Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department)

Steven Garcia, 48, who worked astatine the Kansas City National Security Campus, was reported missing Aug. 28, 2025, aft leaving his Albuquerque location connected ft carrying lone a handgun.  (New Mexico Department of Public Safety)

Some scientists vanished from their homes, with others disappearing connected hiking trails and different nationalist areas. 

While the individuals bash not look to beryllium connected done their enactment and research, 1 adept is pointing to the anticipation that thing much sinister could beryllium astatine play.

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Anthony Chavez, 79, was reported missing May 8, 2025, aft helium was past seen leaving his location connected ft successful Los Alamos, New Mexico. Chavez, a retired worker of Los Alamos National Laboratory, near down his car, phone, wallet and keys, and his whereabouts stay unknown.  (The Los Alamos Police Department)

Melissa Casias, 53, an administrative adjunct astatine Los Alamos National Laboratory successful New Mexico, was reported missing June 26, 2025, and her whereabouts stay unknown.  (GoFundMe)

"The disappearances of immoderate of these radical whitethorn beryllium due to the fact that determination are immoderate confidential investigations going connected astatine a precise important level federally, wherever determination are definite radical that whitethorn beryllium either taken due to the fact that they cognize excessively overmuch oregon person made themselves vanish due to the fact that they would beryllium assets that could beryllium interrogated oregon adjacent charged with assorted crimes," Dr. Steven Greer, a ufologist and a retired physician, told Fox News Digital.

Greer besides points to 1 anticipation being that the scientists person been targeted by a transnational transgression enactment looking to support their probe retired of the nationalist eye.

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"In definite important quarters federally, it has been concluded that the programs – immoderate euphemistically telephone them bequest programs – person been attached to UFO, UAP probe and development, and person been progressive arsenic a transgression organization," Greer said. 

In effect to the renewed nationalist attention, President Donald Trump has vowed to analyse the mysterious disappearances and deaths of the assorted scientists.

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"I anticipation it's random, but we're going to cognize successful the adjacent week and a half," Trump told reporters Thursday. "I conscionable near a gathering connected that subject."

Additionally, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) antecedently told Fox News Digital it is looking into the cases.

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"NNSA is alert of reports related to employees of our labs, plants, and sites and is looking into the matter."

In airy of the closely-timed incidents, Greer believes the national authorities needs to measurement successful to supply much protections for whistleblowers arsenic they enactment to find the origin of the assorted mysterious deaths and disappearances.

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"This is thing precise serious," Greer told Fox News Digital. "Even though it sounds similar a James Bond movie, it's nary joke. We person precise heroic and patriotic radical who person been trying to travel forward, but the United States government, successful my opinion, has failed them by not providing capable protections."

Fox News Digital’s Peter D’Abrosca and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.