Federal Investigation Launches as Eleven Scientists Missing or Dead, Three with Direct NASA Ties

Eleven scientists with ties to aerospace, nuclear and space technology have died or disappeared since 2024, prompting a federal investigation led by the White House and FBI. The inquiry, described as a “holistic review,” aims to identify potential patterns in the cases, which include individuals with high-level security clearances working on sensitive research. Three of the eleven scientists had direct ties to NASA, including Monica Jacinto Reza, an aerospace engineer and materials processor who worked for both NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Reza disappeared on June 22, 2025, while hiking with a friend near Mount Waterman in the Angeles National Forest. Despite a 2025 search effort, no trace of her has been found. She was known for developing and patenting a specialized type of metal used in rocket manufacturing. Her case is one of four notable cases tied to Los Angeles County, alongside Caltech’s Carl Grillmair and two other JPL experts—Michael David Hicks and Frank Maiwald—whose statuses are also under review as part of the broader investigation.

The White House and FBI have launched a “holistic review” into 11 scientists tied to sensitive aerospace and nuclear research who have died or vanished since 2024.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt

NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists. At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as it becomes available.

NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens

A lot of the nuclear security scientists are in DOE. So yes, of course we are looking into this.

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright

Hopefully, I don’t know, coincidence—whatever you wanna call it—but some of them were very important people, and we’re going to look at it.

President Donald Trump

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration is also investigating the deaths and disappearances. Officials have emphasized that the review is ongoing and that no connections between the cases have been confirmed. The investigation includes scientists from institutions such as Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory, reflecting the broad scope of expertise involved in the cases under scrutiny.