Trump Orders Probe into Mysterious Deaths and Disappearances of US Scientists
US President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into the deaths and disappearances of nearly a dozen American scientists with access to highly classified nuclear and aerospace research. The cases, which have unfolded since 2023, have raised alarm within security circles and sparked speculation online about potential espionage, cover-ups, and even undisclosed UFO research.
Speaking to reporters, Trump confirmed he had just concluded a meeting on the matter, describing it as “pretty serious stuff.” He said authorities expect to have more clarity within the next week and a half. “Some of them were very important people,” the president added, “and we’re going to look at it over the next short period.”
Since 2023, at least ten individuals linked to advanced scientific and defence programmes have died or vanished under puzzling circumstances. Steven Garcia, a 48-year-old government contractor at the Kansas City National Security Campus, disappeared from his Albuquerque home in August 2025, leaving behind his phone, wallet, keys, and only taking a handgun. Retired Major General William McCasland, 68, former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, vanished from his New Mexico residence in February 2026. His wife told emergency dispatchers he had “planned not to be found.”
Other cases include Anthony Chavez and Melissa Casias, both former employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory, who disappeared in 2025 after leaving their homes on foot and abandoning personal belongings. Monica Jacinto Reza, 60, a director at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, vanished while hiking in California in June 2025.
Two scientists from Los Alamos have reportedly died since 2023—Frank Maiwald and Michael Hicks—though no cause of death has been disclosed and foul play has not been alleged. Elsewhere, Nuno Loureiro, 47, director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot dead at his home in December 2025. Carl Grillmair, a 67-year-old Caltech astrophysicist, was gunned down on his porch in February 2026. The body of Jason Thomas, a cancer research scientist, was found in a Massachusetts lake last month.
An 11th case emerged on Thursday, as the Daily Mail reported the 2022 death of Amy Eskridge, a 34-year-old scientist said to have been researching anti-gravity technology. Found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot in Alabama, Eskridge had previously stated on a podcast that her life was in danger. However, no public investigative report has been released by police or medical examiners.
Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told the Daily Mail that the cases warrant scrutiny, noting that “they are all suspicious, and these are scientists who have worked in critical technology.” Authorities have so far found no confirmed link among the incidents.
The White House has not disclosed further details about the scope of the investigation, but the president’s directive signals heightened concern over the security of individuals with access to America’s most sensitive research programmes.
