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At least 10 scientists tied to sensitive US research have died or disappeared in recent years, sparking federal investigation

Krdo · · 1416 words · By CNN Newssource
Government Investigation National Security/Conspiracy
open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/news/2026/04/21/at-least-10-scientists-tied-to-sensitive-us-res…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Hasty Generalization 60% confidence
Drawing broad conclusions from a small or unrepresentative sample.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

26 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 16
check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“At least 10 scientists tied to sensitive US research have died or disappeared in recent years, sparking federal investigation”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is reported by one cross-reference source ('Flipboard'). While multiple web search results discuss the general topic of an investigation into scientist deaths/disappearances, none of the provided evidence sources independently confirm the specific claim that 'At least 10 scientists tied to sensitive US research have died or disappeared in recent years' across multiple distinct news organizations. The evidence is primarily derived from the single cross-reference.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is a major divided highway for almost all of its length in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The route runs through the central portion of the state, following generally the alignme…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_10_in_Minnesota
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — us is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. It was established in February 1985. Registrants of us domains must be U.S. citizens, residents, or organizations – or f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.us
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. Despite the "0" as the last digit in the number, US 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_10
+ 4 more evidence sources
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“The Republican-led House Oversight Committee announced Monday it will investigate reports of the deaths and disappearances of the individuals, who it said had access to sensitive scientific information.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results directly report that the House Oversight Committee announced an investigation into the deaths and disappearances of individuals with access to sensitive scientific information. This constitutes corroboration from multiple independent web reports.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joe Biden was 78 years, 2 months of age when he took office as the president of the United States on January 20, 2021. At the time, he became both the oldest person to be inaugurated as U.S. president…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_and_health_concerns_about_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An automatic pen, or autopen (informally known as a signing machine), is a mechanical device used for the replicated signing of a human signature. Prominent individuals may be asked to provide their …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autopen
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The FBI declined to comment.”
CORROBORATED
Two distinct web search results mention that the FBI declined to comment regarding investigations into these matters, corroborating the claim across different contexts.
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web search NEUTRAL — The FBI was established in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation, the BOI or BI for short. Its name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935.[10] The FBI headquarters is the J. E…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigatio…
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web search NEUTRAL — The FBI declined to comment on the congressional letter, saying the agency would respond in writing. The FBI did say its investigation into the IRS continues.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/2/lawmakers-su…
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web search NEUTRAL — Former counter-terrorism head investigated by FBI over alleged leaks.The BBC contacted Kent for comment regarding the leaks allegation. The FBI declined to comment.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c33j3gxvgmro
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“The Defense Department said only that it would respond to the committee directly, and the Department of Energy referred questions to the White House.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is directly supported by a web search result citing CNN, which states the Defense Department and Department of Energy made specific statements regarding responding to the committee and referring questions to the White House. This is corroborated by the context of the web search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Defense (DOD), also referred to as the Department of War (DOW), is an executive department of the United States federal government charged with coordinating and supervi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_De…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nucle…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_En…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Energy National Laboratories and Technology Centers is a system of laboratories overseen by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) for scientific and technologica…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_En…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“In a post on X, NASA said it is “coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies” in relation to the scientists.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that NASA stated it is coordinating and cooperating with relevant federal agencies regarding the investigation into the scientists' deaths and disappearances.
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web search NEUTRAL — NASA confirms coordination with FBI on investigation into 11 missing or deceased US nuclear and space scientists since 2023, stating no immediate national security threat identified.
https://en.yenisafak.com/technology/nasa-fbi-probe-missing-u…
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web search NEUTRAL — NASA announced on Monday that it will cooperate with relevant federal agencies in investigating the deaths and disappearances of 11 nuclear and space scientists. "NASA is coordinating and ...
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/science-technology/nasa-to-coordina…
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web search NEUTRAL — NASA says it is cooperating with federal agencies to investigate the deaths and disappearances of 11 nuclear and space-linked scientists since 2022.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/science/aeronautics/nasa-coordinat…
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“The cases vary widely in circumstance. Some involve unsolved homicides, while others are missing persons cases with no signs of foul play.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is directly supported by a web search result from CNN, which states that the cases vary widely, including unsolved homicides and missing persons cases with no signs of foul play. This is corroborated by the general nature of the other web search results discussing the scope of the investigation.
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web search NEUTRAL — The cases vary widely in circumstance. Some involve unsolved homicides, while others are missing persons cases with no signs of foul play.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/21/us/deaths-disappearances-…
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web search NEUTRAL — It is designed to collect and analyze information about homicides, sexual assaults, missing persons, and other violent crimes involving unidentified human remains.
https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/unidentified-persons
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web search NEUTRAL — We provide free tools and services to collaboratively help unsolved cases of murder, missing persons and serial offenses. Join for free and help victims, family members, friends, community sleuths and…
https://www.solvethecase.org/
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“The White House said last week it is also working with federal agencies to probe any potential links between the deaths and disappearances, with President Donald Trump referring to the matter as “pretty serious stuff.””
CORROBORATED
Two web search results report that the White House stated it is working with federal agencies to probe potential links between the deaths and disappearances. One also includes a reference to President Trump's comments, corroborating the core elements of the claim.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) is an organization of journalists who cover the White House and the president of the United States. The WHCA was founded on February 25, 1914, by jou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Correspondents'_As…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The White House press secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the United States federal government, especially wit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Press_Secretary
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The string of mysterious deaths and disappearances began in 2023, lawmakers say, with the death of Michael David Hicks, a scientist who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for nearly 25 years.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results repeatedly mention the start of the string of events and reference Michael David Hicks' death in 2023. However, the evidence does not provide a single, definitive source confirming the *start* date and the specific individual (Michael David Hicks) as the initiating event across multiple independent reports. The information is heavily concentrated in the search results related to the investigation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Michael Connell Biehn ( BEEN or Bean; born July 31, 1956) is an American actor, primarily known for his roles in science fiction films directed by James Cameron; as Sgt. Kyle Reese in The Terminator (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Biehn
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alien 3 (stylized as Alien III) is an audio drama adaptation of William Gibson's unused 1987 script for the film of the same name. The audio drama was directed by Dirk Maggs and produced by Audible. T…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_3_(podcast)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Matthew Hicks (born 7 August 1975) is an Australian who attended al-Qaeda's Al Farouq training camp in Afghanistan. Hicks traveled to Pakistan after converting to Islam to learn more about the f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hicks
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Hicks, 59, died July 30, 2023.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the 'Evidence gathered' section for this claim, and the search results returned no specific information to verify the date or age of Michael David Hicks' death.
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“During his career at JPL, he specialized in comets and asteroids, according to the American Astronomical Society.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the 'Evidence gathered' section for this claim, and the search results returned no specific information regarding Michael David Hicks' specialization at JPL from the American Astronomical Society.
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“In the years since, several others connected to JPL have also died or disappeared: Frank Maiwald, a specialist in space research, died in Los Angeles in 2024 at 61.”
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“Monica Reza, a 60-year-old aerospace engineer, disappeared while hiking in a Los Angeles forest in June 2025.”
PENDING
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“Also missing is William Neil McCasland, a retired Air Force major general, who hasn’t been seen since he walked out of his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home on February 27.”
PENDING
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“McCasland was at the center of some of the Pentagon’s most advanced aerospace research and once commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.”
PENDING
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“Two others missing, Melissa Casias and Anthony Chavez, worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a leading nuclear research facility in New Mexico.”
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“Casias, 53, was last seen walking on a highway near Talpa, New Mexico, in June 2025, according to New Mexico State Police.”
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“Chavez, a 78-year-old retiree who worked as a foreman supervising construction at the site, also disappeared in May 2025, according to Los Alamos police.”
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“A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nuno F.G. Loureiro, was fatally shot at his home near Boston in December 2025 by a gunman who also opened fire on Brown University’s campus, killing two students.”
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“Carl Grillmair was fatally shot at the age of 67 at his home outside Los Angeles in February.”
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“The astrophysicist worked at the California Institute of Technology, collaborated with NASA and was renowned for his studies on the search for water on planets outside our solar system.”
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“Former US Air Force intelligence officer Matthew James Sullivan, 39, also died in 2024 before he could testify in a federal whistleblower case about UFOs, Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri said.”
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“Burlison, however, told Fox News that Sullivan died by suicide, calling it suspicious.”
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“In recent days, the 2022 death of Amy Eskridge has gained attention.”
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“Eskridge, 34, co-founded the Institute for Exotic Science in Huntsville, Alabama, according to her obituary.”
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“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 statement on X Friday.”
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““We’re going to look for connections … on whether there are connections to classified access, access to classified information, and or foreign actors,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News on Sunday.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.