The FBI has announced an investigation into potential connections among the disappearances and deaths of at least 10 scientists and government workers since 2023, but family members are pushing back against the idea that the cases are related.
On Monday, the House Oversight Committee revealed it would probe any links between the cases, which date back to 2023. However, relatives of several of the individuals involved have come forward to deny any connection.
Melissa Casias, an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, vanished in June 2025. Her family member Paul told TMZ that he believes Melissa "does not want to be found" and likely went missing intentionally. He dismissed any suggestion that her disappearance was part of a targeted mission, noting her role involved answering phones rather than handling classified documents. Paul also expressed doubt that her case is linked to Anthony Chavez, another Los Alamos employee who disappeared a month earlier. According to Paul, the government has not contacted him about any investigation.
Similarly, the family of Michael Hicks, a research scientist at JPL for over two decades, insists his death in July 2023 is unrelated. His brother Steve told TMZ that the family knows the truth about Michael's death but has chosen to keep it private. "He's had great scientific achievements and contributions to the field, and now he's going to be remembered for some baloney, Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot conspiracy theory," Steve said, calling the speculation "a bunch of silliness."
Carl Grillmair, an astronomer at Caltech's Infrared Processing & Analysis Center, was shot and killed on his porch in Llano, CA, on February 16, 2026. His family has not publicly commented on the potential connection.
As the FBI continues its investigation, the families of the deceased and missing remain adamant that their loved ones' cases are isolated incidents, not part of a larger conspiracy.