U.S. Representative Eric Burlison (R-MO) announced Saturday that at least eight of America’s top scientists with ties to classified defense programs have gone missing or turned up dead since 2025 — many of them leaving their homes without phones, wallets, or other personal devices.
“This is not normal,” Burlison wrote on X. “My office is leading a bipartisan letter to the FBI. We need answers.”
The revelation comes as the White House and FBI have confirmed they are conducting a broad review of a larger cluster of similar cases. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Friday that the Trump administration is working with the FBI and other agencies to “holistically review all of the cases together and identify any potential commonalities that may exist.”
“No stone will be unturned in this effort, and the White House will provide updates when we have them,” she added.
President Trump addressed the issue Thursday, calling the reports “pretty serious stuff” after leaving a meeting on the topic. “I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” he said.
Broader Pattern and Ongoing Review
Reports compiled by NewsNation and others describe a string of at least 10 mysterious deaths and disappearances involving U.S. experts in space, defense, nuclear, and aerospace fields. While Burlison highlighted at least eight cases since 2025, some incidents date back as far as July 2023, including the death of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory physicist Michael David Hicks. More recent examples include the fatal shooting of California Institute of Technology astrophysicist Carl Grillmair in February, the disappearance of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland in New Mexico, and the recovery of Novartis researcher Jason Thomas’s body from a Massachusetts lake three months after he vanished.
Authorities have not confirmed any official connection between the cases. However, the unusual circumstances — particularly scientists departing without their devices — and their involvement in sensitive government-related programs have prompted concerns about possible espionage or coordinated foul play.
Former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told NewsNation that if the cases are linked, “modern-day espionage” is a more plausible explanation than random acts or other speculative theories.
Bipartisan Push for Answers
Rep. Burlison’s bipartisan letter to the FBI marks the first formal congressional demand for a coordinated federal investigation. The White House has pledged a comprehensive review, and updates are expected in the coming days.
The developments have drawn attention across the national security and scientific communities, where the pattern is being treated with growing seriousness.
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