FBI Investigates Deaths and Disappearances of US Scientists With Government Research Ties

The FBI is investigating the deaths and disappearances of at least 12 people linked to sensitive United States government research, according to a congressional letter and statements from officials. The cases stretch from July 2023 through February 2026 and involve scientists, engineers, administrative staff and a retired Air Force major general.

Many worked at NASA facilities, Los Alamos National Laboratory or on projects involving nuclear science, astrophysics or unidentified aerial phenomena. The US Committee on Oversight and Government Reform described the pattern as a potential grave threat to national security in an April 20 letter to the FBI.

"Coincidence, whatever you want to call it ... but some of them were very important people, and we're going to look at it over the next short period," he said. FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would examine possible connections among the cases.

"We're going to look for connections" and will pay particular attention to "foreign actors," he stated. " The first case to draw congressional attention was the death of Michael David Hicks on July 30, 2023. Hicks, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1998 to 2022, had worked on the DART planetary defense project, the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking project, the Dawn Mission and the Deep Space 1 Mission.

No official cause of death was released. Sources told the New York Post that Elizondo had participated in the government's UFO crash retrieval program and was scheduled to testify before Congress in November 2024. A detective said there were no signs of foul play or plans to leave.

Monica Reza, director of materials processing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-inventor of a nickel-based superalloy for rocket engines, disappeared on June 22, 2025 during a hike in the San Gabriel Mountains. Search teams found only her beanie.

Her phone, purse and wallet were left at home. New Mexico State Police said they do not suspect foul play. Electrical engineer David LeBlanc died in a car crash in Alabama on July 22, 2025 while working on nuclear propulsion at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

His Tesla left the road and caught fire. Data from the vehicle's Sentry Mode showed it had been parked at Huntsville International Airport for four hours beforehand. Pharmaceutical executive Christopher K. Loureiro, assistant director of chemical biology at Novartis, was found drowned in Lake Quannapowitt, Massachusetts on December 12, 2025 after being missing for three months.

The medical examiner ruled out foul play. His wife said he had been struggling with the recent deaths of his parents. Police linked the shooting to Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who carried out a mass shooting at Brown University two days earlier. Valente was found dead on December 19.

Authorities could not establish a motive. Freddy Snyder, 29, has been charged with murder and burglary. His wife reported him missing after he left behind his glasses and phone but took a revolver. The congressional letter states there are reports of a direct professional link between Reza and McCasland through an Air Force-funded research program.

The House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the FBI on April 20 describing the deaths and disappearances as a possible grave threat to US national security and personnel with access to scientific secrets. The committee is examining whether any of the individuals were targeted because of their work.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency would search for links among the cases, with specific attention to possible foreign involvement. He stated that any finding of conspiracy would lead to appropriate arrests.