In an announcement that seems like it was ripped from a sci-fi series, the White House said it is working with the FBI to uncover the truth after at least 10 government research scientists connected to UFO or other top-secret research have died or disappeared.
“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 said in a Friday social media post. “No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them.”
When did the disappearances begin?
Lawmakers began asking questions for a year regarding the disappearances or deaths that started in 2022. Investigators said Amy Eskridge took her own life at her home in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2022, the Daily Mail reported. Before her death, she had launched a research company called The Institute for Exotic Science, which hoped to develop anti-gravity technology.
During a podcast appearance, she also made concerning comments about why she started the company.
“If you stick your neck out in public, at least someone notices if your head gets chopped off,” Eskridge said. “If you stick your neck out in private… they will bury you, they will burn down your house while you’re sleeping in your bed, and it won’t even make the news.”
Eskridge said in a podcast from 2020 that she planned to release information about UFOs and extraterrestrials to the public but had received threats because of it, the New York Post reported.
“I need to disclose soon, man. I need to publish soon because it’s like escalating. It’s getting more and more aggressive,” she said.
She partnered with Franc Milburn, a retired British intelligence officer, to investigate the threats. He later submitted his evidence to Congress a year after Eskridge’s death and concluded it wasn’t suicide. He said Eskridge was attacked by a “directed energy weapon,” which left burn marks on her body.
Connections to famous research lab
NewsNation reported that many of those missing or dead had connections to NASA or the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which was the lab where the U.S. created the world’s first nuclear weapons. At least one of those missing had connections to an alleged unidentified aerial phenomenon program. UAPs are the newer, more formal term for UFOs.
The outlet said that retired Air Force Gen. William Neil McCasland disappeared in February from his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after experiencing “mental fog.”
The Post reported that he had held high-level positions related to space research and acquisition. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said McCasland “literally just disappeared,” saying he believes he “felt some form of threat” before walking away from his home.
“This is not normal,” Burlison said on Fox News. “These are some of the most advanced scientists, researchers in our nation, some of the most important people for national security efforts. And they all just mysteriously disappeared.”
Steven Garcia, a government contractor with high-security clearance at a nuclear facility, disappeared similarly to McCasland. Authorities said he disappeared last year after he left all his belongings beside a gun at his New Mexico home before going outside and walking away.
Of the eight other missing or dead researchers, the Post said two died after being shot, one’s body was believed to be found at the bottom of a lake, and others vanished from their homes, a highway and a nature trail.
The list of missing or dead researchers:
- Melissa Casias: Last seen in June 2025; had a security clearance at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
- Anthony Chavez: Last seen in May 2025; formerly worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory before retiring.
- Jason Thomas: Found dead in March; led Novartis’ chemical biology team
- Frank Maiwald: Died in 2024; worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Nuno Loureiro: Shot dead in December; famous MIT physicist
- Carl Grillmair: Killed in February; exoplanet researcher
- Steven Garcia: Last seen in August 2025; worked on security for a producer of non-nuclear components in American-made nukes.
- Monica Jacinto Reza: Last seen in June 2205; aerospace engineer.
- Gen. William Neil McCasland: Last seen in February; worked as an Air Force general.
- Amy Eskridge: Died in an apparent suicide in 2022; allegedly found evidence of anti-gravity technology
Reaction to disappearances
Before the White House announced the investigation, former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told NewsNation that the FBI was likely looking into it and couldn’t rule out a possible connection.
“I don’t believe they were abducted by aliens. I think there’s a rational explanation for this,” he said. “If it’s not just random acts, it’s modern-day espionage.”
Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart told the publication that McCasland is likely a “trove of information about whatever secrets the government may be hiding about UFOs.”
“We have to ask, now, [about] the possibility of foul play — is there somebody who has interceded to take the general out of the picture?” Coulthart said. “He was a man with some of the most sensitive U.S. military intelligence secrets in his head, especially particle beam technology.”