Authored by Jacki Thrapp via The Epoch Times,
The Trump administration confirmed on April 17 that it was working with the FBI to investigate the mysterious deaths and disappearances of ten U.S. scientists and government employees who had access to nuclear or aerospace material.
“In light of the recent and legitimate questions about these troubling cases, and President [Donald] Trump’s commitment to the truth, the White House is actively working with all relevant agencies and the FBI to holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on X Friday afternoon.
The scientists and employees who worked on highly classified projects started vanishing or dying in recent years.
“No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,” Leavitt said.
The confirmation from Leavitt happened one day after Trump said the White House would look into whether the cases are connected.
“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump told reporters on April 16, adding “I just left a meeting on that subject.”
One of the missing people included retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland, who vanished on Feb. 27, according to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico.
The 68-year-old previously served as the head of research at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which conspiracy theories allege was tied to Roswell’s UFO incident in 1947.
He also worked at the Pentagon as the director, space acquisition in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and then as director of special programs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics.
McCasland’s wife reported that she saw him interacting with a repairman around 10:00 a.m., she went to a medical appointment at 11:10, and he was gone when she returned just after noon.
The Albuquerque-area resident did not take his phone, prescription glasses, and wearable devices, but investigators did discover that the household was missing his hiking boots, wallet, and a .38 caliber revolver with a leather holster.
Another missing person included Monica Reza Jacinto, a rocket scientist who had worked with McCasland.
Jacinto was last seen hiking on June 22, 2025, in the Angeles National Forest.
Another one of the cases that is being questioned was the shooting of California Institute of Technology astrophysicist Carl Grillmair.
The astrophysicist, who worked on missions related to the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, was shot and killed outside of his home on Feb. 16, 2026.