Remains of missing scientist found in New Mexico
Christina Coleman brings to light the unsettling discovery of Melissa Casias’ remains in a forest in New Mexico. Casias, who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, was one of several scientists and government employees associated with the U.S. nuclear programs who have either disappeared or died under mysterious circumstances since June 2022. This worrying trend has prompted investigations by both the FBI and the House Oversight Committee.
Over the weekend, Casias’ family found her deceased next to a handgun, but they strongly dispute the possibility of suicide. Some family members suspect foul play might be involved in her death.
Casias, aged 54, was last seen on June 26, 2025, in Taos, New Mexico, according to law enforcement authorities.
Members from her mother’s side of the family indicated on Facebook that the McGaffey Ridge area in Carson National Forest, where her body was eventually discovered, had been previously searched.
Her remains were found by a hiker over the weekend, as reported by the New Mexico State Police, who confirmed her identity publicly on Saturday. A handgun was reportedly found near her body.
Melissa Casias, 53, an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, was reported missing on June 26, 2025, and her whereabouts remain unknown. (Mondragon family)
An official cause and manner of death had not been made public as of Thursday morning. News Agency has reached out to the county medical examiner’s office and police for more information.
Although the post mentioned a “mound of evidence,” it was not immediately clear what the family had collected in connection with the case.
“You don’t need to be a hunter, a scientist or a cop to know that a human body is not going to be left out in the elements and be undisturbed a year later,” said Thomas McNally, an Arizona private investigator who has been working with her family.
New Mexico State Police Chief Matt Broom, center, provides updates during a news conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
He said Casias was known to conceal carry a pistol, but he couldn’t speak to the caliber or condition of the one found near her remains.
However, he distanced Casias from reports of other government lab workers who have gone missing in recent months, telling News Agency she was an administrative assistant and not a scientist. Some of her duties involved scheduling government vehicles for off-site maintenance, he said.
A replica of the Los Alamos Project Main Gate, where the first atomic bombs were developed during World War II, stands at the edge of town in Los Alamos, New Mexico, U.S., July 30, 2023. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
New Mexico State Police have said Casias failed to report to work the day she went missing, then visited her daughter but never came home.
According to authorities, she left behind personal belongings including her purse, driver’s license and multiple cellphones.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, is one of 16 Energy Department labs around the country. There are currently about 14,000 people working there.
It was established in 1943 in connection with the Manhattan Project — resulting in the world’s first nuclear weapons.
News Agency has reached out to the lab for comment.
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