Fox News’ Peter Doocy on Wednesday confronted White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about 10 missing/dead scientists.
As previously reported, several American scientists and researchers have died or vanished over the last year, sparking widespread speculation that at least some of the disappearances might involve foul play.
“There are now 10 American scientists who have either gone missing or died since mid-2024,” Doocy said. “They all reportedly had access to classified nuclear or aerospace material. Is anybody investigating this to see if these things are connected?”
“I’ve seen the report, Peter,” Leavitt replied. “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 and administration would deem worth looking into.”
PETER DOOCY: “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?”
KAROLINE LEAVITT: “I’ve seen… pic.twitter.com/CCqhmwQx7D
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 15, 2026
Prior reporting identified eight missing/dead scientists: Jason Thomas, Carl Grillmair, William Neil McCasland, Nuno Loureiro, Melissa Casias, Monica Reza, Anthony Chavez, and Frank Maiwald
The newest addition is Michael David Hicks, a longtime NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientist who died mysteriously in 2023 without his cause of death ever being disclosed.
Another addition is Steven Garcia, a government contractor at the Kansas City National Security Campus, which reportedly produces over 80 percent of all non-nuclear components used in nuclear weapons. He was last seen on Aug. 28.
“The 48-year-old was last seen leaving his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on foot, carrying only a handgun,” according to NewsNation.
Reporter and podcaster Lauren Conlin has noted that Garcia’s disappearance is awfully similar to retired Air Force General McCasland’s disappearance. He was last seen on Feb. 27.
“The former general left his New Mexico home with only a pair of boots and a handgun, and did not take his phone, smart devices or glasses,” the Daily Mail reported, adding that he had “allegedly possessed top-secret knowledge of nuclear and UFO-related secrets.”
“It’s like the same thing,” Conlin reportedly said on Monday. “The same thing, the state of New Mexico.”
Missing nuclear official becomes TENTH person tied to dark pattern surrounding U.S. secrets –Another person with links to America’s nuclear secrets has gone missing as the disturbing list of deaths and disappearances in recent years continues to grow. Steven Garcia, 48, vanished… pic.twitter.com/gpHL1cpLM0
— CLG News (@legitgov) April 11, 2026
The most recent death occurred last month.
“Jason Thomas, a pharmaceutical researcher testing cancer treatments at Novartis, was found dead in a Wakefield lake on March 17, 2026, after disappearing without a trace three months earlier,” according to the Daily Mail.
Prior to his death was the death of astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, who was killed at his home on Feb. 16 after reportedly being shot on his front porch early in the morning.
“Before his murder, the California Institute of Technology researcher’s work was heavily supported by NASA JPL, and Grillmair was personally involved with major space telescope missions led by NASA,” the Daily Mail reported.
“The scientist also worked on the NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor, infrared telescope projects that track asteroids but use the same physics as military systems for tracking satellites and hypersonic missiles,” according to the outlet.
Scientist Carl Grillmair, known for helping discover water on a distant planet, was found f*tally sh*t at his home in Llano on February 17, 2026.
The 67-year-old astrophysicist, who worked at Caltech Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, was discovered on his front porch… pic.twitter.com/Hk2FupnLcB
— Morbid Knowledge (@MorbidKnowledge) March 1, 2026
Grillmair’s death was preceded by the disappearance of McCasland, who was last seen on Feb. 27.
Months earlier, in December, Nuno Loureiro, a scientist “working on breakthroughs using nuclear fusion as an unlimited energy source,” was killed during a shooting in his Brookline home. Some believe he was assassinated.
During the prior summer in June, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) employee Melissa Casias suddenly vanished without a trace.
Later that month, Monica Reza, a scientist who “had worked on the creation of advanced rocket technology before becoming a director at NASA JPL,” went missing while on a hike in California.
In May, Anthony Chavez, a former employee at LANL, similarly disappeared without a trace — just like Casias.
“The Los Alamos Police Department [said] that the search for Chavez, 79, is still ongoing and no new information in the case has emerged, nearly one year later,” according to the Daily Mail.
A year earlier, in July of 2024, NASA scientist Frank Maiwald died, though his cause of death was never released, and an autopsy was never performed.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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