{The Blaze] A growing list of U.S. scientists and researchers β many tied to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, defense, nuclear, or advanced tech programs β have died or gone missing since 2023.
Nine names are dominating the headlines:
- Michael David Hicks β NASA JPL research scientist; died July 30, 2023, age 59; cause never publicly disclosed, no autopsy record found.
- Frank Maiwald β NASA JPL principal researcher (longtime colleague of Hicks); died July 4, 2024, age 61, in Los Angeles; cause not released, single obituary only, no autopsy reported.
- Anthony Chavez β Former Los Alamos National Laboratory employee; vanished May 2025, age ~78; left home on foot with belongings left behind; still missing.
- Monica Reza β Aerospace/materials scientist with NASA/JPL and AFRL-linked rocket propulsion work; disappeared while hiking in Angeles National Forest, June 22, 2025, age 60; still missing after extensive searches.
- Melissa Casias β Los Alamos National Laboratory administrative assistant (reported security clearance); vanished June 26, 2025, age 53; left after dropping off husband, phones factory-reset, car/belongings left behind, seen walking on highway; still missing.
- Nuno Loureiro β MIT plasma/fusion physicist and professor; shot multiple times at his Brookline, Massachusetts, home on December 15, 2025, and died December 16, age 47.
- Carl Grillmair β Caltech astrophysicist with significant NASA/JPL-supported work; shot and killed on his front porch in Llano, California, February 16, 2026, age 67; suspect arrested and charged.
- William Neil McCasland (Ret. Air Force Maj. Gen.) β Former AFRL commander with classified space/defense program ties; disappeared from his Albuquerque home on February 27, 2026, age 68; still missing, search ongoing.
News coverage has ramped up significantly in the past couple of weeks over this story and continues to garner national attention, but Glenn Beck thinks the conspiracy theory that these cases are all somehow connected jumps the gun.
On this episode of "The Glenn Beck Program," Glenn pushes back on the hype by illustrating how easily one can ignite a conspiracy theory.
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