President Donald Trump said on Thursday that federal investigators have found “not much of a connection” between a series of deaths and disappearances involving scientists tied to aerospace and nuclear research.
Weeks of reports and online speculation fueled public concern about a potential pattern linking multiple incidents spanning several years. The cases have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, federal agencies, and the FBI and NASA, which both launched investigations into the matter.
Trump’s Statement on the Investigation
Trump addressed the cases earlier this month, calling them “pretty serious stuff” and expressing hope the deaths were accidental, while acknowledging that “some of them were very important people.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the government would investigate the incidents a day before Trump’s latest comments.
“There are thousands or even hundreds of thousands of scientists working for us, so 10 is a lot, but it’s still a very small number compared to that,” Trump told reporters on Thursday. He noted that some of the individuals examined had been ill, while others died by suicide or other causes, adding, “So far, we’re finding that there’s not much of a connection. We’ll let you know.”
Congressional Investigation Expands
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., announced on Thursday that he would investigate 13 scientists connected to nuclear and space research who have gone missing or died in recent months. “Every adversary on the planet celebrates each one we lose,” Burlison said on social media. “We are weaker as a nation today because of these losses, and I’m working to get answers.”
Burlison said the FBI would not confirm or deny opening an investigation into Matthew Sullivan’s 2024 death and stated he had been pressing the agency on the matter for nearly a year. “The American people deserve straight answers from their FBI,” he wrote in a follow-up post.
The Cases Under Review
Sullivan, a 39-year-old former Air Force intelligence officer, died of an accidental drug overdose on May 12, 2024, in Falls Church, Virginia, according to the New York Post. Sullivan had agreed to testify before Congress about government UFO activities before his death and previously worked for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, the National Security Agency, and the Air Force Intelligence Agency.
The cases came to wider attention after retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland went missing earlier this year. McCasland previously oversaw the Air Force Research Laboratory and had connections to Los Alamos National Laboratory, where classified nuclear research is conducted.
Since 2022, at least 13 people connected to aerospace and defense research have died or disappeared under varying circumstances. Missing individuals include Monica Reza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; and Steven Garcia, 48. Deaths include Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; Carl Grillmair, 47; and Joshua LeBlanc, 29.
Federal Response
The House Oversight Committee requested information Monday from multiple federal agencies regarding at least 11 researchers with ties to NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin. Committee Chairman James Comer and Rep. Burlison sent letters requesting staff-level briefings by April 27 to officials including Kash Patel, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, according to Fortune magazine.