Mystery of scientists dead or missing rises to EIGHT as two more men tied to America’s most coveted secrets join the list

The disturbing web of dead or missing U.S. scientists and lab workers continues to expand as two more cases have been linked to this disturbing trend.

NASA scientist Frank Maiwald reportedly died on July 4, 2024, in Los Angeles at the age of 61, but the cause of death was never made public and authorities confirmed that no autopsy was performed.

Maiwald was a distinguished researcher at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) since 1999 and worked on several projects related to advanced satellite technology capable of scanning Earth and other planets.

In June 2023, just 13 months before his death, he was the principal investigator of a breakthrough that could help future space missions detect clear signs of life on other worlds, including Jupiter’s moon Europa, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, or the dwarf planet Ceres.

Although Maiwald was director of JPL, an award given to scientists “making outstanding individual contributions” to their field, NASA never publicly commented on the scientist’s death, and the only public document marking his passing was an obituary posted online.

Meanwhile, another mysterious disappearance has been revealed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), one of the United States’ premier nuclear research facilities, bringing the total number of unexplained incidents since July 2024 to eight.

Anthony Chavez, a former LANL employee until his retirement in 2017, disappeared without a trace on May 4, 2025, just seven weeks before a key assistant from the same laboratory disappeared.

The Los Alamos Police Department told the Daily Mail that the search for Chavez, 79, was still ongoing and that no new information about the case had been released, nearly a year later.

Frank Maiwald (pictured) was a researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory before his death in 2024. The cause of his death has not been revealed and NASA has not commented on the loss.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Maiwald’s family and Los Angeles County for comment on the circumstances surrounding Maiwald’s untimely death.

Strangely, the online obituary put up for Maiwald did not mention any health issues prior to the 61-year-old’s death, and NASA JPL neither confirmed nor denied that Maiwald had been employed there for decades, despite records of his accomplishments listed on their website.

Meanwhile, Chavez was last seen leaving his home in the Denver Steels neighborhood of Los Alamos on foot.

The longtime LANL employee left his car locked in the driveway and did not take his wallet, keys or other personal items, all of which were found in Chavez’s home.

Although his friends considered him an avid hiker, investigators noted that Chavez was not dressed for a long outdoor walk and did not carry a phone with him in case of emergency.

LANL did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment on the nature of Chavez’s work at the high-security nuclear lab.

The facility was founded by the famous Manhattan Project during World War II. This activity has since been linked to nuclear weapons research, and a woman who feared she might have these secrets has also gone missing.

Melissa Casias, 54, who had a security clearance for sensitive information at LANL, disappeared without a trace under almost identical circumstances just two months later.

Anthony Chavez (pictured) was employed at Los Alamos National Laboratory until 2017. He disappeared without a trace in May 2025.

Melissa Casias (pictured) was last seen walking alone in New Mexico after dropping her husband off at work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, but did not show up for work herself.

Her family said she had unusually decided to work from home the day she disappeared, but was last seen miles from their home walking alone without her wallet, phone or keys.

Additionally, the administrative assistant’s home and work phones were both found inside the Casias’ home, wiped after someone performed a factory reset.

Former FBI Deputy Director Chris Swecker told the Daily Mail that even employees who don’t work directly on top-secret scientific research could be targeted by foreign spy agencies because they often have access to the same information as nuclear scientists.

“In a classified lab, or just a high clearance lab, they would basically be aware of what’s going on,” Swecker said. “And it wouldn’t be the first time their administrative assistant has been targeted.”

“I think we need to deploy all the necessary resources to look for connections and look for possible espionage activities.” That’s where you should start,” Swecker recommended.

The counterintelligence expert’s warning comes after another member of NASA’s JPL disappeared without a trace last year.

Monica Reza, director of JPL’s Materials Processing Group, disappeared just four days before Casias while hiking with friends in California’s Angeles National Forest.

In addition to working in the same top NASA lab as Maiwald, Reza has also been directly linked to the disappearance of retired Air Force Gen. William Neil McCasland, who oversaw her work creating a revolutionary new metal for missiles and rocket engines.

McCasland, who allegedly possessed top-secret knowledge of nuclear and UFO-related secrets, was last seen on February 27, 2026, disappearing in almost the same manner as Chavez and Casias.

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.

Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett said, “Several other people have gone missing across the country under suspicious circumstances. I think we should pay attention to this.

Monica Reza (pictured) disappeared while hiking in California in June 2025. Reza had worked on creating advanced rocket technology before becoming director of NASA’s JPL.

Retired Air Force General William Neil McCasland, 68, was last seen near Quail Run Court NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico in February 2026.

Along with this growing list of missing persons cases, Burchett referenced the spate of recent deaths and murders among America’s scientific elite.

Since Maiwald’s death in 2024, three other scientists have died, including another respected researcher with ties to NASA and JPL.

Astrophysicist Carl Grillmair, 67, was killed at his home on February 16, 2026, after being shot on his porch around 6 a.m. local time.

Before his assassination, the California Institute of Technology researcher’s work was strongly supported by NASA JPL, and Grillmair was personally involved in major space telescope missions carried out by NASA.

The scientist also worked on NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor, infrared telescope projects that track asteroids but use the same physics as military systems to track satellites and hypersonic missiles.

These dual-use infrared sensors fell under McCasland’s supervision, while the general was in charge of the Air Force Research Lab’s space surveillance work.

Two other respected Massachusetts researchers have been found dead since December 2025. Nuno Loureiro, who was working on breakthroughs using nuclear fusion as a limitless energy source, was shot to death in his Brookline home last year.

Meanwhile, Jason Thomas, a pharmaceutical researcher testing cancer treatments at Novartis, was found dead in a lake in Wakefield on March 17, 2026 after disappearing without a trace three months earlier.

“You can say this is all suspect,” Swecker said, “and these are scientists who have worked in critical technologies.”