Missing U.S. Scientist Melissa Casias' Body Was Found 'Skeletonized and Propped Against Tree with Gunshot Wound' as Chilling Details Emerge About 54-Year-Old's Disappearance

The body of a missing nuclear lab worker who vanished last year in New Mexico was reportedly found "skeletonized" with a gunshot to her skull, RadarOnline.com can report.

Human remains of Melissa Casias were discovered on May 28, 2026, in the McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest.

Casias, an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, vanished from her Taos home in June 2025. Authorities said her purse, identification, and cell phones had all been left behind.

While it's not yet clear exactly how the 54-year-old died, there are reports her body was found propped up in a seated position against a tree. Most concerning, she apparently had a gunshot wound to the skull, and a gun was found nearby.

"Her body was found in a very remote area of the mountains that is not normally frequented by hikers," Thomas McNally, a former homicide detective who was investigating Casias’ disappearance for her family, told the Daily Mail. "I understand that the skeletonized remains were found sitting up against a tree with bleached clothing, sun-bleached clothing."

Police said the remains were discovered by a hiker, and have since been shipped to a lab to determine how she died.

Casias' disappearance was just one of 10 scientists who went missing or were found dead. Each had a connection to the country's nuclear and space programs, as well as other sensitive knowledge.

There is growing speculation about whether they are connected, and the strange circumstances have even sparked a wild conspiracy theory that a foreign enemy is doing all they can to tear apart America's defenses.

Now the FBI has gotten involved in the missing scientists, seeking information from the departments of Energy, Defense, and NASA.

Casias' death appeared eerily similar to that of Huntsville, Alabama, scientist Amy Eskridge, an anti‑gravity researcher who died in 2022, also with a gunshot wound to the head.

Eskridge's death was ruled a suicide, but a friend of hers has said that doesn't sound like something she would ever do, and revealed Eskridge secretly worried she was being targeted for her work in propulsion technology.

Former British intelligence officer Franc Milburn told NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas Reports that Eskridge claimed she was being physically and psychologically attacked and showed him pictures of her "discolored hands."

Milburn said Eskridge, 34, also told him not to believe any reports that she had died by suicide if she turned up dead.

"If you see any report that I killed myself, I most definitely did not. If you see any report that I overdosed myself, I most definitely did not. If you see any report that I killed anyone else, I most definitely did not," she texted him.

The situation has become so dire that President Trump has confirmed he's looking into it, admitting it's "pretty serious stuff," and noting he had "left a meeting on that subject."

Following the meeting, the 79-year-old expressed hope that the eerie tragedies are coincidental, but promised the government is investigating as the victims involve some "very important people."

"President Trump’s involvement in the case shows there is either a national security risk or that some government security clearance could be at risk," renowned private investigator Jason Jensen suggested.

"The more we learn about their ties and activities involving UFOs and nuclear weapons systems, it makes me think there is more at play here."