WASHINGTON — The Home Oversight Committee launched a probe Monday into experiences of the mysterious disappearances or deaths of not less than 10 scientists and researchers working in US nuclear or rocket expertise, based on letters obtained by The Submit.
“If the experiences are correct, these deaths and disappearances could characterize a grave risk to U.S. nationwide safety and to U.S. personnel with entry to scientific secrets and techniques,” wrote Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) in every of the 4 letters.
The missives to the FBI, Division of Power, NASA and Division of Conflict are demanding details about the US personnel who’ve vanished — together with Michael David Hicks, who was employed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1998 to 2022.
Hicks died in 2023, however no post-mortem or explanation for loss of life has been made publicly obtainable.
NASA Lab Supplies Processing Group Director Monica Reza additionally went lacking in June 2023 whereas mountaineering, and retired Air Pressure Gen. William Neil McCasland disappeared in February of this yr from his Albuquerque, NM, house with out his prescription glasses or telephone — and a .38 caliber revolver.
The 2 had a “shut skilled connection” when taking part in an Air Pressure analysis program within the early 2000s that dealt with “superior supplies wanted for reusable house autos and weapons.”
Two different lacking or deceased US personnel labored with NASA JPL, two extra had been affiliated with the Los Alamos Nationwide Laboratory, one other was an MIT scientist finding out nuclear fusion.
There was additionally a pharmaceutical researcher and a authorities contractor concerned with nuclear weapons part manufacturing at a US facility.
A 3rd Las Alamos administrative assistant, Melissa Casias, has additionally been introduced lacking in latest weeks.
The White Home has convened an interagency effort to analyze as nicely, and President Trump mentioned the preliminary info was “fairly critical stuff” after being briefed.
Comer and Burlison, who chairs the Oversight Subcommittee on Financial Development, Power Coverage, and Regulatory Affairs, have requested for a staff-level briefing by April 27 as nicely.
A spokesperson for the Nationwide Nuclear Safety Administration mentioned in a Friday assertion that it was “conscious of experiences associated to staff of our labs, crops, and websites and is trying into” mysterious deaths, suicides and vanishings of those that had left the company.
Frank Rose, the previous no. 2 at NNSA, instructed The Submit that it’s unlikely a “connection” might be uncovered, however loads of “loopy stuff” has occurred up to now to scientists and researchers at their amenities.
“It wouldn’t shock me when you look into every of those particular person circumstances, there’s in all probability one thing extra when you dig into it,” Rose mentioned. “This is able to go proper to the administrator and the deputy administrator. They don’t sweep stuff like this underneath the rug.”
“NNSA and the Nationwide Safety Laboratory advanced is a large overseas intelligence goal, however once more, I’ve not seen any proof that, you understand, the deaths, once I was there, had been related in any means with a overseas intelligence group,” he added.
Comer and Burlison, who chairs the Oversight Subcommittee on Financial Development, Power Coverage, and Regulatory Affairs, have requested for a staff-level briefing as nicely.
Reps for the FBI, DOE, Division of Conflict and NASA didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
