US lawmakers and a former FBI counter‑intelligence chief are warning that a cluster of unexplained deaths and disappearances involving high‑level American scientists working on sensitive national security projects since mid‑2024 may not be coincidence at all.

For context, at least ninescientists and defence‑linked specialistshave died or vanished in circumstances that remain only partially explained, according to obituaries, local reports and accounts relayed toThe National Enquirer. Several were tied to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), elite universities or classified Air Force programmes. None of the underlying investigations has publicly established any link between the cases, and there is currently no confirmed evidence of a wider plot, so any broader interpretation should be treated with caution.

The first name on the list is NASA researcher Frank Maiwald, who died on 4 July 2024 at the age of 61 after a quarter of a century at JPL in California. The German‑born scientist was reportedly working on advanced satellite technology designed to scan entire planets and search for signs of extraterrestrial life. His obituary did not list a cause of death and, according to sources quoted by theEnquirer, no autopsy was carried out. NASA has not publicly commented on his passing.

A series of mysterious deaths and disappearances of scientists is being discussed in the United StatesAccording to various reports, around 11 specialists are involved — linked to nuclear, military, and space projects, as well as UFO research.Among them are NASA employees,…pic.twitter.com/JX7MjNjSR5

Less than ten months later, attention shifted to Los Alamos, the New Mexico community dominated by the national laboratory that designed the first atomic bomb and still works on nuclear weapons. Former LANL technician Anthony Chavez, 79, went out for a walk near his home and never returned, local authorities said. His disappearance, which remains unsolved, is being treated as a missing‑person case rather than foul play, but relatives have voiced concern over the lack of leads.

Soon afterwards, JPL was again drawn into the story. In the Angeles National Forest outside Los Angeles, materials scientist and JPL group director Monica Reza disappeared while hiking with friends. She was said to have been working on a potentially 'revolutionary' metal for missiles and rocket engines. Despite search‑and‑rescue efforts reported at the time, she has not been located.

🚨BREAKING: 11 Scientists & Experts Tied to NASA, Los Alamos, Nuclear & Space Programs: Dead or Missing (2022–2026)• Amy Eskridge (exotic propulsion) – June 11, 2022: DEAD• Michael David Hicks (NASA JPL) – July 30, 2023: DEAD• Frank Maiwald (NASA JPL) – July 4, 2024:…pic.twitter.com/Mwe89ujrqn

Four days after Reza vanished, 53‑year‑old Los Alamos stafferMelissa Casias disappeared under circumstancesthat investigators and family members have struggled to make sense of. Casias had dropped her husband at work at LANL and opted, unusually, to work from home. Later, cameras captured her miles from her house, walking alone without her wallet, phone or keys, mirroring details from Chavez's disappearance. Her work and personal phones were later found inside the home, wiped and reset to factory settings, according to those close to the case.

Frank Maiwald — died Jul 2024, no autopsyCarl Grillmair — shot Feb 2026 Michael Hicks — died Jul 2023, cause hiddenMonica Reza — vanished Jun 2025Melissa Casias — vanished Jun 2025Anthony Chavez — vanished May 2025William McCasland — vanished Feb 2026These deaths…pic.twitter.com/RQuYrOmP9O

The list of affected scientists widened in December 2024 with the killing of Massachusetts Institute of Technology nuclear physicist Nuno Loureiro. Loureiro was shot dead in his home by Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who days earlier had carried out a mass shooting at Brown University. The two men had known each other as students in Portugal. At the time of his death, Loureiro was described by colleagues as being on the cusp of breakthroughs in nuclear fusion that might have transformed the global energy landscape.

Source: International Business Times UK