Speculation EXPLODES After White House Asked About 10 Missing/Dead Scientists with Nuclear Secrets
You’re not supposed to connect these dots...
This article originally appeared on m o d e r n i t y and was republished with permission.
Guest post by @ModernityNews
The White House has for the first time publicly addressed reports of at least 10 American scientists and experts who have died or gone missing since mid-2024, many of whom had access to classified nuclear or aerospace information.
During Wednesday’s press briefing, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt: “There are now 10 American scientists who have either gone missing or died since mid 2024. They all reportedly had access to classified nuclear or aerospace material. Is anybody investigating this to see if these things are connected?”
Leavitt responded: “I’ve seen the report, Peter. I haven’t spoken to our relevant agencies about it. I will certainly do that, and we’ll get you an answer. If true, of course, that’s definitely something I think this government administration would deem work worth looking into. So let me do that for you.”
The question follows growing attention on a series of cases, several concentrated in New Mexico and linked to major nuclear facilities and aerospace research programs.
Among the reported disappearances are several in the Albuquerque area. Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, vanished on February 27 after leaving his home near Quail Run Court NE without his phone, wearable devices or glasses, carrying only a pistol. His wife told 911 dispatchers it appeared he was trying “not to be found.” McCasland had commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which has long been the subject of speculation regarding advanced technology programs.
In August 2025, Steven Garcia, 48, a government contractor at the Kansas City National Security Campus facility in Albuquerque, disappeared after leaving his home on foot with only a handgun. He left behind his phone, keys, wallet and car. The facility manufactures more than 80 percent of the non-nuclear components for U.S. military nuclear weapons, and Garcia held top security clearance overseeing classified assets.
Two other New Mexico cases involved individuals tied to Los Alamos National Laboratory. Anthony Chavez, 79, a retired LANL worker, and Melissa Casias, 54, an active administrative assistant at the lab with top security clearance, both disappeared in 2025 within weeks of each other. They were last seen leaving their homes on foot, abandoning their vehicles, phones, keys and wallets. No updates have been reported since.
Additional cases include Monica Jacinto Reza, 60, director of the Materials Processing Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who disappeared while hiking in California in June 2025. Her work involved advanced materials for rocket engines and overlapped with projects overseen by McCasland. Several deaths have also been noted in related fields, including nuclear physicist Nuno Loureiro, who was murdered in his home, and astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, also killed at home.
In addition, Steven Garcia, a 48-year-old government contractor, vanished without a trace on August 28, 2025. He worked as a property custodian with top security clearance at the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) facility in Albuquerque, which manufactures more than 80 percent of the non-nuclear components for U.S. military nuclear weapons and gives personnel broad access to sensitive nuclear assets.
Garcia was last seen on surveillance cameras leaving his home on Cattail Court SW in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on foot around 9 a.m., wearing a green camouflage shirt and shorts, and carrying only a handgun and a bottle of water. Garcia left behind his phone, keys, wallet, and car. No trace of Garcia has been found, and the case remains unsolved.
Public and congressional interest has grown. Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett has previously commented on the pattern, stating the numbers “seem very high in these certain areas of research” and noting he has “been constantly ran down different rabbit holes” when inquiring with the intelligence community. He added: “I don’t think we should trust our government.”
Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz has also called for a hearing.
Recent coverage from NewsNation and Newsweek has included input from former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker, who said that “if anything is happening here, the rational explanation is espionage by hostile foreign powers.”
No official connections between the cases have been confirmed by law enforcement or intelligence agencies. Police have described some of the disappearances as possible self-endangerment situations, with no signs of foul play reported in others. Investigations into the individual cases remain open, but until Doocy’s question, the White House had not commented on whether a broader review was underway.
The response from Leavitt marks the first acknowledgment at the briefing level that the administration is aware of the reports and intends to seek more information from relevant agencies.
Copyright 2026 m o d e r n i t y
