US Congress probes deaths, disappearances of scientists with sensitive data
What's the story
The US House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the recent deaths and disappearances of scientists with access to sensitive scientific information. The move comes after a number of such cases were reported in recent years, raising concerns about possible links between these incidents. The FBI is leading the effort to investigate potential connections among the missing and deceased scientists.
Notable incidents
Cases included in the investigation
The investigation covers a range of cases, from unsolved homicides to missing persons without any signs of foul play. Among those involved are a nuclear physicist and MIT professor who was shot dead outside his Massachusetts home, a retired Air Force general who went missing from his New Mexico home, and an aerospace engineer who vanished while hiking in Los Angeles.
Committee response
Committee demands briefings from federal agencies
The House Oversight Committee has requested briefings from the FBI, Defense Department, Department of Energy, and NASA. The reports of these deaths and disappearances "raise questions about a possible sinister connection between the deaths and disappearances," the committee said in its statement. However, NASA has said that "nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat."
Federal probe
White House involved, but no national security threat seen
The White House has also joined the investigation, working with federal agencies to look into possible links between these cases. President Donald Trump called the matter "pretty serious stuff." However, Rep. James Walkinshaw, a Democrat on the Oversight Committee, isn't convinced there's a coordinated motive behind these incidents. He said it's unlikely that foreign adversaries could significantly impact such a large nuclear program by targeting just few individuals.
Case chronology
Deaths and disappearances since 2023
The string of mysterious deaths and disappearances began in 2023 with Michael David Hicks, a scientist at NASA's JPL who died under undisclosed circumstances. Since then, several others connected to JPL have also died/gone missing. These include Frank Maiwald, a space research specialist who died in Los Angeles in 2024; Monica Reza, an aerospace engineer who went missing while hiking in June 2025; and William Neil McCasland, a retired Air Force major general last seen on February 27 this year.
Additional cases
Other people involved
Other cases include Melissa Casias and Anthony Chavez, both associated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Casias was last seen in June 2025 while Chavez disappeared in May 2025. The investigation also covers the deaths of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, shot dead outside his home near Boston in December 2025; astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, killed at his home outside Los Angeles in February; and Air Force intelligence officer Matthew James Sullivan, who died before testifying about UFOs.