NASA said on Monday that it will work with other federal agencies to investigate the deaths and disappearances of 11 nuclear and space scientists, raising concerns in Washington about whether they were targeted for their work.
“NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens wrote on X. “At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as it becomes available.”
Hours earlier, the White House press secretary was asked by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy about the matter.
“In light of the 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 holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential patterns,” Karoline Leavitt later wrote on social media.
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At least 11 people have either died or vanished since 2022. The vast majority were involved in nuclear science and space research, with some connected to the study of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs).
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 gunned down outside his home on Feb. 16, and Freddy Snyder, 29, was subsequently charged with his murder. Loureiro was also fatally shot at his Massachusetts home.
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The body of Jason Thomas, an associate director of chemical biology at Novartis, was discovered in Lake Quannapowitt, Mass., three months after he was last seen walking from his home late at night. Eskridge, a Huntsville, Alabama–based researcher, died June 11, 2022, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Monica Reza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; Steven Garcia, 48; and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, were all reported missing between 2023 and 2026. All the disappearances occurred under suspicious circumstances.
On Sunday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., warned that “something sinister” could be involved.
“We’ve put a notice out to the Department of War, the FBI, NASA, and the Department of Energy. We want to know everything they know about what happened with these scientists, because those four agencies were predominantly the ones these 11 individuals were affiliated with,” he said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “We want to try to piece this together.”
Comer said he plans to bring leaders from NASA, the FBI, and other federal agencies before Congress. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has vowed to investigate the occurrences.
“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump told reporters last week. “I just left a meeting on that subject.”
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita, Max Becall and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
