Melissa Casias, a Los Alamos National Laboratory employee who vanished in June 2025 after leaving her phones and identification behind, was found dead in Carson National Forest, New Mexico State Police said.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A Los Alamos National Laboratory employee who disappeared nearly a year ago after leaving behind her phones and identification has been found dead in a New Mexico forest, according to state police.
New Mexico State Police said remains discovered in the McGaffey Ridge area of Carson National Forest were identified as 54-year-old Melissa Casias, a scientist and nuclear lab employee who worked as an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator has not yet determined her cause of death, the Daily Mail reported.
Casias had last been seen alive June 26, 2025. Her body was found about six miles from the last location where she was reportedly seen walking before she was declared missing.
Officials have not said how long Casias’ body had been in the forest. The area where she was found is part of a U.S. Forest Service restoration project where crews have reportedly been working consistently since December 2025.
The circumstances surrounding Casias’ disappearance drew attention because she allegedly wiped records from multiple phones, left the devices and her identification behind, and walked away from her home in Ranchos de Taos last June, the Mail noted.
According to the Daily Mail, Casias disappeared after taking her husband, Mark, to Los Alamos National Laboratory, about 70 miles from their home. Mark Casias, also a LANL employee and a superintendent at the lab, told investigators that his wife had her security badge when she dropped him off because she would have needed it to pass through security checkpoints.
The Daily Mail reported that Casias later went to Ranchos de Taos, where the couple’s daughter, Sierra, told investigators that her mother came to the teen’s workplace to drop off a sandwich. Casias allegedly said she planned to work from home because she had forgotten the badge required to access the lab.
“Casias vanished after dropping off her husband, another LANL employee, at the facility that June morning, approximately 70 miles from their home. That was when Casias’s behavior allegedly became unusual, as she claimed she would need to return home after forgetting the badge needed to access the nuclear lab,” the Mail reported.
“According to her husband, Mark, a superintendent at the lab, Casias had the security badge with her when she dropped him off that morning, as she would have needed the badge to get past the security checkpoints.
“When Casias arrived in Ranchos de Taos, the couple’s daughter, Sierra, reportedly told investigators that her mother visited the teen’s place of work to drop off a sandwich and then said she planned to work from home after forgetting the badge needed to access the nuclear lab.
“The wife and mother then wiped all records from her phones before leaving them and her identification behind and walking out of her home in Ranchos de Taos.”
A surveillance screenshot reportedly showed Casias walking alone in New Mexico after dropping off her husband at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told the Daily Mail in March that he believed Casias’ disappearance could be part of a broader pattern involving people with access to sensitive government research. Swecker theorized that Casias’ position at LANL could have made her a target because administrative assistants can have access to sensitive files handled by their superiors.
“In a classified lab, or just a high clearance lab, they would basically be in the know on what’s going on,” Swecker said. “And it wouldn’t be the first time their administrative assistant has been targeted.”
The case comes amid scrutiny of reports about missing or deceased scientists tied to sensitive U.S. space and defense programs. According to the information provided, as many as 11 scientists have been reported missing or dead.
Prominent UFO researcher, “Ancient Aliens” personality and bestselling author David Wilcock was found dead last month in what was described as an apparent suicide outside his home in Boulder County, Colorado. Two days earlier, he had reportedly posted a video warning that it was “scary” that “scientists are going missing” and said he was not suicidal.
The FBI under Director Kash Patel has launched a major investigation into the mysterious deaths and disappearances of at least 11 high-level U.S. scientists with access to classified information involving nuclear, aerospace, propulsion, missile technology and UAP-related programs, according to the information provided.
President Donald Trump has publicly said the White House is looking into the cases and has described the series of incidents as highly suspicious.
New Mexico authorities have not released a cause of death for Casias, and the investigation into how she died remains unresolved.