WASHINGTON — A growing list of mysterious deaths and disappearances involving top U.S. scientists has sparked serious concern in Congress and at the White House. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, called the cases “too coincidental” to ignore and urged a full federal investigation. He spoke out as reports surfaced about an 11th scientist whose death is now drawing new attention.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration is looking into the matter and hopes the incidents are random. “We’re going to know in the next week and a half,” he told reporters. The White House is working with the FBI and other agencies to review all the cases together for any possible links.
Concerns Over Classified Research
Burlison said his office had been watching some of these disappearances for more than a year. He believes many of the scientists had access to highly classified information on aerospace, defense, and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) — the government’s term for UFOs. He raised the possibility that foreign actors from countries like China, Russia, or Iran could be involved.
“This is a rallying call to pay attention to this issue and make sure that our nation’s top scientists are safe and secure,” Burlison told Fox & Friends. “This is too coincidental, and so we have to be investigating this. We need to have our nation’s top investigators, the FBI and every agency looking into this matter.”
He pointed out that some scientists “literally just disappeared” without taking their phones or other devices. In several cases, they had expressed feeling threatened before vanishing.
The Case of Amy Eskridge
The latest focus is on Amy Eskridge, a 34-year-old researcher who died in 2022 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at her home in Huntsville, Alabama. Her death was officially ruled a suicide, but some investigators and colleagues question that conclusion.
Eskridge had been studying anti-gravity technology, UFOs, and extraterrestrial life. She started a company called The Institute for Exotic Science to share her findings publicly. In a 2020 interview, she spoke about receiving threats and said she felt pressure to disclose information soon because the harassment was getting worse.
“If you stick your neck out in private… they will bury you,” she warned. She described invasive threats, including people going through her personal belongings.
A retired British intelligence officer who looked into her case submitted findings to Congress. He concluded that Eskridge did not kill herself and may have been attacked with a directed energy weapon.
Other Mysterious Cases
The list of affected scientists includes people from top labs and agencies:
- Maj. Gen. William “Neil” McCasland, a retired Air Force general, vanished from his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home in February 2026. He had worked on advanced space research and UAPs. His phone, glasses, and other devices were left behind.
- Melissa Casias, who had security clearance at Los Alamos National Laboratory, disappeared in June 2025.
- Anthony Chavez, a retired Los Alamos worker, went missing in May 2025.
- Jason Thomas, leader of a chemical biology team at Novartis, was found dead in March 2026.
- Frank Maiwald, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer, died in 2024.
- Nuno Loureiro, a well-known MIT physicist, was shot dead in December 2025.
- Carl Grillmair, an exoplanet researcher, was killed in February 2026.
- Steven Garcia, who worked on security for nuclear weapon components, disappeared in August 2025.
- Monica Jacinto Reza, an aerospace engineer, went missing in June 2025.
Many of these researchers worked in sensitive areas tied to national security, including nuclear programs, advanced propulsion, and space technology.
Calls for Investigation
Burlison is asking for bipartisan support to get the FBI and other agencies fully involved. He stressed that these are some of the most important people working on national security.
“No stone will be unturned in this effort,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The administration plans to update the public when more information is available.
So far, officials have not confirmed any direct connection between the cases. Investigations continue, and authorities are treating each one seriously while looking for any broader patterns.
The string of incidents has fueled online speculation, but lawmakers and the White House say the priority is finding answers through proper investigation. For now, the fate of these scientists remains a major concern for U.S. national security.