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By Joe Edwards and Anna Skinner
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The FBI is investigating the series of scientists who have died or been reported missing that has attracted widespread attention and online speculation, Director Kash Patel confirmed.
Officials have not confirmed any links among the recent cases highlighted by online commentators and reports, though the White House indicated last week it would seek updates from relevant agencies after a reporter asked whether any investigation was examining a possible connection.
In a statement to Newsweek on Monday, the FBI said it "is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists. We are working with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our state and state and local law enforcement partners to find answers."
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“Multiple equities across the Trump administration are involved in this investigation, including the FBI, DOE [Department of Energy], DOW [Department of War] and others,” a White House official told Newsweek.
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Why It Matters
Some lawmakers previously called for closer examination of the cases, which range from the disappearance of a retired Air Force general to the killing of a leading astrophysicist. On Monday, the top House Oversight Committee Republican, James Comer, said the growing group of missing or dead scientists was a national security threat that lawmakers were taking seriously.
“It does appear that there’s a high possibility that something sinister is taking place here,” Comer told Fox News. "It's very unlikely that this is a coincidence. Congress is very concerned about this. Our committee is making this one of our priorities now because we view this as a national security threat."
Patel’s remarks come after President Donald Trump called the growing list of deaths or disappearances of U.S. experts in advanced space, defense and nuclear fields in recent years “pretty serious stuff” on Thursday, adding that he hoped the series was "coincidence."
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What To Know
“These missing and killed scientists and former professional members of the Department of Energy vary in wide range, and we're working most importantly with our state and local partners who have the jurisdiction on each of these cases, whether they be a homicide or a missing person's case, they have the evidence. What we're going to do is collectively pull it all into one place," Patel said on Fox News.
"We started this process last week, and then we're going to look for connections, on whether there are connections to classified access, access to classified information and or foreign actors, and then we will produce that information to the White House and the world because it's of such great public importance."
Patel added that the FBI would “make the appropriate arrest” if “there's any connections that lead to nefarious conduct or conspiracy.”
The FBI is one of four agencies being pressed for details by the House Oversight Committee.
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Who Has Received Oversight Letters?
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, told Fox News that notices had been sent to the FBI, NASA, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. The department heads are Patel, Jared Isaacman, Chris Wright and Pete Hegseth, respectively.
“We want to know everything that they know about what happened with these scientists because those four agencies were predominantly the agencies that those 11 individuals were affiliated with," Comer said.
"Like President Trump, the Committee is concerned with this fact pattern and seeks to understand where U.S. national security or American scientific personnel are at risk, and what each relevant agency is doing to mitigate such risk," the letter reads.
According to the letter sent to the Department of Defense (DOD), the department already alerted the House Oversight Committee that it was not investigating any missing persons associated with the scientists.
"On April 16, 2026, Committee staff contacted the Department seeking information on this matter. In response, the Department confirmed that 'there are no active national security investigations of any reported missing person who was a current or a former DoW clearance holder and involved in special access programs,'" the House Oversight letter to the DOD said. "However, this response leaves the Committee with many unanswered questions."
The letter, dated April 20, gave each department until April 27 to provide a staff-level briefing on the topic.
Obituaries and memorial posts are offering rare, concrete details about the missing and deceased scientists.
As public attention on the cases has intensified, some experts and people close to those who have died or gone missing have pushed back against conspiracy claims.
Below is the list of workers with ties to advanced research whose disappearance or deaths have been attracted public interest.
**Amy Eskridge—**Scientist reportedly researching anti-gravity technology.
Died: 2022
Michael David Hicks—Research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; worked on the DART Project and Deep Space 1 mission.
Died: July 2023.
Frank Maiwald—Principal researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Died: July 2024.
Anthony Chavez—Former employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Missing since: May 2025.
Monica Reza—Director of Materials Processing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Missing since: June 2025.
Melissa Casias—Administrative worker at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Missing since: June 2025.
Steven Garcia—Government contractor at a New Mexico facility for the Kansas City National Security Campus.
Missing since: August 2025.
Nuno Loureiro—Director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center.
Died: December 2025.
Carl Grillmair—Caltech astrophysicist who worked on NASA’s NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor missions.
Died: February 2026.
William "Neil" McCasland—Retired U.S. Air Force major general.
Missing since: February 27, 2026.
Jason Thomas—Pharmaceutical researcher.
Found dead: March 2026.
Update 4/20/26, 11:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional information.
Update 4/20/26, 12:05 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional information.
Update 4/20/26, 12:10 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from the FBI.
Update 4/20/26, 1:16 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from the White House.
Update 4/20/26, 4:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional information.
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