Key facts
- The body of Melissa Casias, a Los Alamos National Laboratory employee, was recovered in Carson National Forest.
- Casias had been missing since June 26, 2025.
- A handgun was found with her remains; cause of death is undetermined.
- Casias is one of at least ten experts linked to classified advanced research who have died or gone missing.
- The FBI is investigating these cases, which have prompted a congressional probe.
The remains of Melissa Casias, an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, were discovered by a hiker in New Mexico's Carson National Forest. Casias had been missing since June 26, 2025, after failing to report to work and leaving behind her personal belongings. A handgun was found with her remains, but the exact cause and manner of death are still undetermined. This discovery is part of a larger pattern of at least ten American experts linked to classified advanced research who have died or gone missing under mysterious circumstances in recent years. These cases have prompted a congressional probe and an FBI investigation, with President Donald Trump acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. Other notable cases include the disappearance of fellow LANL employee Anthony Chavez, government contractor Steven Garcia, NASA JPL workers Monica Reza, Frank Maiwald, and Michael Hicks, retired Major General William McCasland, MIT physicist Nuno Loureiro, Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, and Novartis researcher Jason Thomas. The House Oversight Committee has requested briefings from relevant government agencies.