Amid mystery of 11 dead or missing American scientists, China sees similar cases

NASA has reacted to the missing or dead scientists linked to the space agency, saying "nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat." Notably, at least 11 scientists with ties to the space agency have either vanished in suspicious circumstances or died in the past 3-4 years. President Donald Trump took note of the matter and has ordered an investigation. Most of these scientists were involved in federal nuclear or space research programs. The disappearances have been flagged as a national security risk by some experts. Meanwhile, similar cases of scientists involved in highly sensitive fields have emerged from China.

However, NASA does not see it that way. Press Secretary Bethany Stevens said Monday, "NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists. At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as able."

Some federal officials brought the matter to light, claiming something doesn't sit right. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) said during a Sunday appearance on Fox News’s Fox & Friends, "We’re very concerned about this. This is a national security concern. This would suggest that something sinister may be happening." Before him, Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett also flagged the disappearances as concerning. Retired General William Neil McCasland, 68, and NASA aerospace engineer Monica Jacinto Reza, 60, are the two big names who have both gone missing. Three other scientists have been found dead in the last few months.

McCasland and Reza shared a common link in "Mondaloy," a high-performance nickel-based, futuristic superalloy metal for rocket engines. It was primarily the work of Reza while McCasland supervised her. McCasland left his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on February 27 without his phone. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI launched a search operation to look for him.

He was assigned to the research wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and is believed to hold information about the secret UFO programs. Journalist Ross Coulthart said on the “Reality Check” podcast that McCasland was working on classified space weapons programs. Burchett said McCasland's disappearance was "a major national security issue", as he was reportedly in on America's nuclear secrets.

Physicist Nuno Loureiro, astrophysicist Carl Grillmair and assistant director of chemical biology at Novartis Jason Thomas were either murdered or found dead, deepening the mystery. Loureiro worked on plasma physics and is believed to have been close to revolutionising the energy sector with a clean power source. He was murdered outside his Boston suburban house on December 15, 2025, by Claudio Neves Valente, his former classmate from Portugal. Meanwhile, Grillmair was murdered on February 16, 2026, and worked on a project linked to discovering water on a distant planet. Thomas's dead body was found at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Massachusetts, on March 17.

Frank Maiwald, a senior radio frequency engineer at JPL for more than 25 years, died on July 4, 2024, at the age of 61. JPL research scientist Michael David Hicks died on July 30, 2023, at the age of 59. He studied the physical properties of comets and asteroids and worked on planetary defence projects. Authorities maintain that none of the deaths or disappearances is linked in any way.

The mystery has deepened with similar reports now emerging from China. At least nine scientists, including those in defence and involved with the development of hypersonic weapons and drones, have died in recent years. Foul play has been ruled out by officials, and most of these deaths have been linked to either accidents or sudden illnesses. But some of them still remain unexplained.