CLASSIFICATION: ACTIVE FBI INVESTIGATION SUBJECTS: Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, multiple defense contractors --- The Pattern Since early 2024, a disturbing pattern has emerged: scientists with connections to nuclear research, aerospace engineering, and defense programs have been dying or disappearing at a rate that has drawn the attention of federal investigators. As of April 2026, the FBI's Albuquerque field office is actively investigating more than 10 cases involving current or former employees of national laboratories, defense contractors, and university research programs with classified clearances. The cases share unsettling similarities: Victims worked in sensitive research areas (nuclear materials, hypersonics, AI-driven weapons systems) Several had active security clearances at the TS/SCI level Deaths were ruled accidents or suicides despite circumstances that raised questions Families were given limited information, with some cases involving sealed records The FBI has not publicly connected the cases. But the investigation exists. Monica Reza Monica Reza, a 34-year-old materials scientist who had held a consulting contract with Los Alamos National Laboratory, was reported missing in February 2025 near her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Reza's work focused on metamaterials with applications in stealth technology — research that had both civilian and defense applications. She had presented at three classified conferences between 2022 and 2024. Her vehicle was found abandoned on a remote stretch of Highway 4 near the Valles Caldera, approximately 20 miles from Los Alamos. No signs of foul play were found at the scene. Search and rescue teams found no trace of her. Her family reported that Reza had expressed concerns about her safety in the weeks before her disappearance, specifically mentioning that she had been "followed" after leaving a meeting in Albuquerque. The FBI took over the case from local authorities in March 2025. As of April 2026, Monica Reza has not been found. Carl Grillmair Dr. Carl Grillmair, a 61-year-old astronomer and data scientist at Caltech's IPAC center, was found dead in his home in Pasadena, California, in November 2024. The cause of death was initially reported as a cardiac event. Grillmair was best known for his work mapping the Milky Way using data from ESA's Gaia mission — work that, on its surface, had no defense implications. However, Grillmair had also held consulting positions with JPL and, indirectly, with programs funded through the Air Force Research Laboratory involving orbital debris tracking and space domain awareness. Colleagues described Grillmair as being in good health with no known heart conditions. His family requested a second autopsy, the results of which have not been made public. The Pasadena Police Department closed the case within weeks. The FBI's interest in the case has not been officially confirmed, though sources within the Albuquerque field office acknowledged it appeared in their case review. Los Alamos Connections Los Alamos National Laboratory — birthplace of the atomic bomb and one of the most sensitive research facilities in the world — has been at the center of at least four of the cases under review. In 2024 alone: A nuclear engineer with Q-clearance was found dead in his home in White Rock, NM, ruled a suicide despite the absence of a weapon at the scene (it was later found in his vehicle, parked a mile away) A cybersecurity specialist who had worked on securing weapons control systems died in a single-vehicle accident on an icy road. Lab security protocols required her phone and laptop to be returned. Both were missing from the vehicle and have not been recovered A physicist specializing in high-energy density research resigned abruptly, told colleagues he was "taking a break," and has not been heard from since The Department of Energy's Office of the Inspector General conducted a security audit of Los Alamos in late 2024. The audit's conclusions are classified. A redacted summary cited "deficiencies in personnel security protocols" and "inadequate incident response procedures." The FBI Investigation The FBI's investigation, reportedly being coordinated out of the Albuquerque field office with support from the Counterintelligence Division, has proceeded quietly. Agents have interviewed colleagues, family members, and lab administrators. What makes the investigation notable is its scope. Individual deaths and disappearances at national labs are not unprecedented. But the clustering of cases — particularly those involving scientists with overlapping research domains — triggered the review. The Bureau has declined to comment publicly on whether the cases are connected. A spokesperson for the Albuquerque office stated only that "the FBI investigates all credible reports of suspicious activity involving personnel with access to classified information." The History This is not the first time scientists connected to defense programs have died under unusual circumstances. A 2017 analysis by the Center for Public Integrity documented dozens of deaths and disappearances of nuclear scientists and defense researchers going back decades, many of which received minimal media coverage. In the 1980s and 1990s, a series of deaths among scientists working on the Strategic Defense Initiative and related programs drew congressional attention but no formal investigation. The difference now is the FBI's active involvement — and the fact that Congress has been briefed. What We Know Scientist / Field / Status / Year Monica Reza / Metamaterials / Missing / 2025 Carl Grillmair / Astrometry/Space / Dead / 2024 Nuclear engineer (unnamed) / Weapons systems / Dead / 2024 Cybersecurity specialist (unnamed) / Control systems / Dead / 2024 Physicist (unnamed) / HED research / Missing / 2024 5+ additional cases under review / Various / Various / 2024-2026 They didn't ask if you wanted to know that the people building the most dangerous technology on earth are disappearing. _- The Department_