Trump to Open Investigation Into Deaths of Top US Nuclear Scientists

(MENAFN) President Donald Trump has launched a formal investigation into the baffling deaths and disappearances of nearly a dozen American scientists with access to some of the country's most sensitive nuclear and space secrets—cases that have ignited widespread speculation about foreign espionage, classified UFO research, and possible government cover-ups.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Trump confirmed he "just came out of a meeting on this," cautioning that "It's pretty serious stuff."

"I hope it's random, but we're going to know in the next week and a half. Some of them were very important people, and we're going to look at it over the next short period," the president said.

At least ten individuals linked to advanced research programs have died or gone missing under unexplained circumstances since 2023, spanning nuclear weapons facilities, space agencies, and elite research institutions.

Steven Garcia, 48, a government contractor at the Kansas City National Security Campus—which manufactures more than 80% of the non-nuclear components used in US nuclear weapons—vanished from his Albuquerque home in August 2025, leaving behind his phone, wallet, and keys and taking only a handgun. Retired Major General William McCasland, 68, former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, similarly disappeared from his New Mexico home in February 2026. His wife reportedly told a 911 operator he had "planned not to be found."

Two additional disappearances occurred at Los Alamos National Laboratory: Anthony Chavez, a former lab employee, and Melissa Casias, an administrative assistant, both vanished in 2025, leaving their homes on foot and abandoning their belongings. Monica Jacinto Reza, 60, a director at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, disappeared while hiking in California in June 2025.

Two other scientists at the lab—Frank Maiwald and Michael Hicks—have also reportedly died since 2023. No foul play has been alleged in either case, and no cause of death has been made public, according to media.

The cluster of cases extends beyond government facilities. Nuno Loureiro, 47, director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was shot and killed at his home in December 2025. Carl Grillmair, 67, a Caltech astrophysicist, was gunned down on his porch in February 2026. The body of missing cancer research scientist Jason Thomas was reportedly recovered from a Massachusetts lake last month.

A possible eleventh case surfaced Thursday when the Daily Mail reported that Amy Eskridge, a 34-year-old scientist allegedly researching anti-gravity technology, was found dead in Alabama in 2022 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The outlet noted that neither police nor medical examiners had released a public investigative report on the incident. Prior to her death, Eskridge had stated on a podcast that she believed her life was in danger.

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