American scientists missing or dead: Former FBI official warns Iran, Pakistan, China 'trying to steal technology'
The FBI has taken up the case of American scientists who have either gone missing or died over the past four years. Meanwhile, a former official has warned that their work could have made them a target, as China, Russia and even Pakistan are always trying to steal technology.
Missing scientists were involved in secret space and nuclear technology
The case of missing and dead scientists has gone from being merely a fringe theory to a full-fledged mystery, which the FBI has decided to investigate. While authorities maintain that none of the disappearances and deaths is connected, suspicion refuses to die down because of the work being carried out by these scientists. According to a retired high-level FBI official, some of the cases are classified as suspicious, saying their work could have made them a target of other countries.
Former FBI officials says their work made them prime targets for China, Russia, Iran and even Pakistan
Chris Swecker, who served as assistant director of the FBI, told Fox News, "What they were working on would certainly, without a doubt, be a target of a hostile foreign intelligence service like Russia or China. It could be Iran, could be Pakistan." However, Swecker doesn't see a connection between the six deaths, and neither between the missing scientists. However, he believes officials still need to investigate whether they could be linked since they were all working on sensitive technologies. "I'm just saying that ... the FBI would have interest in anything that happened to them because of what they were working on," he said.
William Neil McCasland held secrets on nuclear technology
The case of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland is particularly intriguing as he is a well-known name in the field of UFO research. He is also believed to have been working on secret nuclear technology. McCasland went missing from his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on February 27. He left behind his phone, keys and glasses and left wearing his boots and took a handgun with him. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office issued a Silver Alert to search for him, and even the FBI got involved in the case on the same day. "In fact, [with] McCasland, the FBI showed up uninvited that very afternoon."
William Neil McCasland and the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base where some say UFO debris is kept
William Neil McCasland has official connections with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where top-secret nuclear research is conducted. He was also assigned to the research wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Conspiracy theorists believe that the US government is hiding the debris of extraterrestrial vehicles at this site, especially the one from the Roswell incident. American officials have regularly denied that a UFO crashed here in 1947, but several officials have claimed over the decades that secrets about alien life have been kept under wraps. McCasland is also reported to have been working on classified space weapons programs. His disappearance has been flagged as "a major national security issue" by Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett.
An official holding debris from the Roswell incident
Swecker has warned scientists working in top-secret fields to be careful, saying that countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are "trying to steal technology because they're not good at [research and development]." He said that "anybody involved in technology and anything that China or Russia or our competitors want to get their hands on ought to understand that there is a daily collection effort by China, Russia, Iran, to some extent, North Korea." Swecker claimed, "their whole programs depend on stealing the technology and reverse engineering it."
William Neil McCasland and Monica Jacinto Reza had a common link in "Mondaloy"
Other people who have gone missing include NASA aerospace engineer Monica Jacinto Reza. The 60-year-old is said to be working with McCasland on "Mondaloy," a high-performance nickel-based futuristic superalloy metal for rocket engines. Reza reportedly was the primary scientist involved in its development, while McCasland oversaw her work. However, their professional links have not been confirmed, but both of them were working on space-age technology.
Anthony Chavez retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory, a top-secret nuclear facility
Another scientist who vanished into thin air is Anthony Chavez, who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory until 2017. This is the same organisation where top-secret nuclear projects are carried out. He has been missing since May 8, 2025 and was last seen leaving his house in Los Alamos on foot, without his phone, wallet or keys. Melissa Casias, 53, also worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and disappeared on June 26, 2025. Steven Garcia, 48, also went missing from Albuquerque almost a year ago on August 28, 2025. He worked at the Kansas City National Security Campus, where most of the non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons are made. He reportedly left on foot, carrying only a handgun.
Some scientists left with handguns, indicating they likely feared for their lives
Swecker thinks there could be a link among them, since they all left behind their basic belongings. "So Garcia, Chavez and Casias, in my opinion, ought to be lumped in", he said, adding that "any others that went missing" should also be put under the same umbrella. "That would fit more of a pattern than just killing somebody because of what they know," said Swecker. "They disappeared with all their personal belongings [left] behind. Some of them took their handguns with them, which means they're either in fear or they're going to go use it on themselves."
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