Mystery clouds deaths, disappearances of scientists with UFO research ties: timeline

A bid of suspicious deaths and disappearances of high-level scientists crossed the state implicit the past respective years is reaching a fever transportation and catching the attraction of online sleuths each the mode to the White House.

Since 2023, astatine slightest 8 people, mostly progressive successful researching abstraction and atomic science, person died oregon vanished, immoderate nether murky circumstances. Some person had connections to UFO research.

Asked Wednesday by Fox News' Peter Doocy astir the trend, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump medication volition apt look into the matter.

"I haven’t spoken to our applicable agencies astir it. I volition surely bash that, and we’ll get you an answer," Leavitt said. "If true, of course, that’s decidedly thing I deliberation this authorities and its medication would deem worthy looking into. So fto maine bash that for you."

1) Michael David Hicks

Death: July 30, 2023

Age: 59

Cause of Death: Not released

Hicks was a idiosyncratic moving astatine NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1998 to 2022, according to the Daily Mail. He worked connected the abstraction program's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) project, which focused connected knowing the carnal properties of asteroids and comets, and whether they could beryllium re-directed successful outer space.

2) Frank Maiwald

Death: July 4, 2024

Age: 61

Cause of Death: Not released

Maiwald besides worked successful the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He designed a captious instrumentality for a task called Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) - Visible to Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR), a aboriginal NASA ngo to motorboat a outer into abstraction and representation the "living color" of the world successful acold greater item than tin beryllium observed by the quality eye, according to his obituary.

Just implicit a twelvemonth earlier helium died, helium was moving connected a programme to assistance astronauts connected abstraction missions place signs of beingness connected different planets, including Jupiter's moon, Europa, Saturn’s satellite Enceladus, oregon the dwarf satellite Ceres, the Daily Mail reported.

Tanicia Miller captured the pill-shaped object, aboriginal identified arsenic a rocket launch, connected August 12, 2025. (Tanicia Miller/Facebook)

3) Monica Reza

Missing: June 22, 2025

Age: 60

Status: Unknown

Monica Reza went missing portion hiking successful the Mount Waterman of the Angeles National Forest successful California. A missing person's flyer from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said determination was interest for Reza's well-being, and asked tipsters to telephone 818-248-3464.

Reza besides worked for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory arsenic an aerospace engineer, reportedly overseeing the lab's Materials Processing Group, which "focuses connected processing caller materials and precocious manufacturing technologies for spacecraft, specializing successful bulk metallic solid alloys and metallic additive manufacturing," according to NASA.

A UFO is seen successful the sky. (Obtained)

4) Melissa Casias

Missing: June 26, 2025

Age: 53

Status: Unknown

Casias worked arsenic an administrative adjunct astatine Los Alamos National Labs successful New Mexico, which reportedly developed atomic weapons for the Manhattan Project.

On the time she disappeared, she dropped disconnected luncheon for her girl and was ne'er seen again.

5) Anthony Chavez

Missing: May 8, 2025

Age: 79

Status: Unkown

Chavez besides worked astatine Los Alamos National Labs until helium retired successful 2017, according to the Daily Mail. He was past seen leaving his location successful Los Alamos connected foot, with his car locked successful his driveway. He did not bring his phone, wallet oregon keys connected his walk.

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard told a New York Post podcaster that she believes aliens could perchance beryllium real. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

6) Steven Garcia

Missing: August 28, 2025

Age: 48

Status: Unknown

Garcia went missing from his location successful Albuquerque aft leaving his location connected ft carrying lone a handgun, according to NewsNation. He worked astatine the Kansas City National Security Campus, which develops astir of the nonnuclear components that spell into gathering atomic weapons.

He had a apical concealed information clearance.

7) Carl Grillmair

Death: February 16, 2026

Age: 47

Manner of Death: Homicide

Grillmair was a renowned probe idiosyncratic astatine Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, which partners with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory providing "science operations, idiosyncratic support, archives and information services, and technological imaginativeness to maximize find with observatories some successful abstraction and connected the ground."

The Daily Mail reported that helium was personally progressive successful abstraction scope projects with NASA.

He was changeable and killed extracurricular his home. A antheral named Freddy Snyder, 29, was charged with his murder.

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A divided representation showing missing retired Air Force Major Gen. Neil McCasland successful the green, button-up garment helium was past seen wearing and successful his subject uniform. (Obtained)

8) Air Force General William Neil McCasland (Ret.)

Missing: February 27, 2026

Age: 68

Status: Unknown

McCasland was the erstwhile commandant of the Air Force Research Laboratory, and had connections with the Los Alamos National Labs, similar Casias and Garcia. He reportedly possessed halt concealed accusation connected UFOs.

He, too, disappeared successful New Mexico. He near his location with lone a portion of boots and a handgun, starring his phone, keys and glasses, the Daily Mail reported.