FBI widens probe into deaths and disappearances of scientists tied to sensitive research

The FBI has launched a broad inquiry into the deaths or disappearances of at least 10 scientists tied to highly sensitive research, including four in the Los Angeles area connected to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech. The cases, dating from 2023 to 2026, involve Michael Hicks (died 2023) and Frank Maiwald (died 2024), Monica Jacinto Reza (disappeared 2025), and Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair (shot and killed in 2026), with Freddy Snyder charged in Grillmair’s murder. NASA says there’s no current national-security threat, and officials caution there’s no proven connection among the cases, though Congress is seeking more information from involved agencies.