Remains of missing Los Alamos scientist found near last known location in New Mexico
Body of Melissa Casias discovered in Carson National Forest alongside a firearm; cause of death still under investigation.
Remains of missing Los Alamos scientist found near last known location in New Mexico
The skeletal remains of Melissa Casias, a laboratory assistant who vanished nearly a year ago, were discovered over the weekend in Carson National Forest, approximately ten kilometers from where she was last seen alive. New Mexico police confirmed the identification in a statement released on Saturday.
Casias, 53, worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), a facility operated by the United States Department of Energy that focuses on national security, supercomputing, space exploration, medicine, and clean energy. She was last observed walking along New Mexico State Road 518 near the village of Talpa on June 26 of last year.
According to investigators, a passerby found the remains on May 28 in an area that had previously been searched. Police also recovered a handgun at the scene. The exact cause of death has not yet been determined, and the investigation remains active.
Casias became one of twelve individuals connected to space, defense, and nuclear research who died or disappeared in recent months across the United States. The cluster of cases fueled conspiracy theories online, prompting the FBI and the House Oversight Committee to launch investigations after former President Donald Trump described the matter as "very serious things."
Before her disappearance, Casias returned unexpectedly to her home in Ranchos de Taos, telling her daughter she had forgotten her access card for the laboratory. She delivered lunch to her daughter at a local shopping center around 12:50 p.m. Her husband, Mark, last saw her at approximately 6:15 a.m. when she dropped him off at LANL.
Police found all of Casias's belongings, including her bag and mobile phones restored to factory settings, inside her residence. The circumstances surrounding her death continue to be examined by state investigators.
Source: Público
Source: Público