Trump Orders FBI to Investigate Mysterious Cases of Missing Scientists
President Trump has directed the FBI to spearhead an investigation into a troubling pattern of disappearances and deaths among scientists involved in critical space and defense projects, as announced by the White House on Friday.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to social media platform X, stating that the administration is “actively working” alongside the FBI and other relevant agencies to uncover any potential connections among the cases of several government scientists who have either vanished or died under mysterious circumstances in recent months.
Leavitt emphasized the seriousness of the situation, citing “recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases,” assuring that “no stone would be unturned” in this multi-agency investigation.
This announcement followed a question from a Fox News correspondent during a press briefing, which highlighted as many as ten individuals associated with space programs or nuclear research who have gone missing or died under various circumstances.
When asked about the disappearances, Trump acknowledged having discussed the matter with his advisers, labeling it as “pretty serious stuff.”
“I hope it is random, but we are going to know in the next week and a half,” he remarked. “Hopefully, coincidence... but some of them were very important people, and we are going to look at it.”
The disappearance of retired Air Force General William McCasland in early March has sparked online speculation regarding possible foreign interference targeting American scientists. His wife reported him missing after he left home without his watch or mobile phone.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office subsequently issued a “Silver Alert” for McCasland due to concerns for his wellbeing, as he suffers from an undisclosed medical condition.
Before retiring in 2013, McCasland oversaw significant projects at both the Kirtland base’s Phillips Research Site and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson in Dayton, Ohio, managing a $2.2 billion science and technology program.
Earlier this month, reports suggested a potential link between McCasland’s case and that of Monica Reza, a 60-year-old NASA scientist who disappeared last June, along with several other cases.
Concerns were raised by former FBI official Chris Swecker, who speculated that “several foreign powers” might be involved in abducting, blackmailing, torturing, or even killing scientists to access sensitive American national security information.
Reza was last seen in June 2025 while hiking in California with friends; she had been working on advanced metallurgical projects at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which have significant implications for aerospace applications.
