Families of Missing, Dead Scientists Call Bull on Possible Connections

The FBI says it plans to dig into possible connections between the disappearances and/or deaths of at least 10 scientists and government workers over the last few years … but their family members say it’s all a bunch of baloney.

The House Oversight Committee announced Monday they’re probing any possible connections between 10 cases dating back to 2023 … but family members of Melissa Casias, Carl Grillmair, Michael Hicks and Jason Thomas all say there’s no way they’re linked — and some have proof.

Melissa was an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico who vanished in June 2025. A family member, Paul, tells TMZ … he believes Melissa wanted to go MIA and “does not want to be found.”

He adds there’s no reason she’d be part of some targeted mission — considering her main duty was answering phone calls — and says she wasn’t near classified documents. He’s also confident her disappearance isn’t linked to Anthony Chavez‘s, who also worked at Los Alamos and vanished a month earlier.

Paul, who also works at the lab, says the government hasn’t contacted him about any investigation.

Meanwhile, Michael’s brother, Steve, tells TMZ … his family knows the truth behind Michael’s July 2023 death, but they’re choosing to keep it private.

He calls linking Michael to the other cases “a bunch of silliness,” adding … “He’s had great scientific achievements and contributions to the field, and now he’s going to be remembered for some baloney, Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot conspiracy theory.”

Michael worked as a research scientist with JPL for more than two decades.

Carl was an astronomer with Caltech’s Infrared Processing & Analysis Center … he was shot on his porch in Llano, CA, on February 16, 2026.

Carl was an astronomer with CalTech’s Infrared Processing & Analysis Center … he was shot on his porch in Llano, CA on February 16, 2026.

Carl’s wife, Mary, tells TMZ … her husband’s killing was an “isolated incident.” She says … “The perp had been arrested previously on our property in December. He was out for revenge, thinking my husband was the one who called 911 … so he came back and shot my husband.”

She adds statistics suggest the cases aren’t connected … so she’s sticking with that.

We also spoke to Jason Thomas‘ wife, Kristen. Jason walked out of their Massachusetts home in December 2025, and his body was found in a lake on March 1, 2026.

Kristen says she’s stayed away from social media and the news while grieving … but tells us Jason’s death is “probably not connected” to the others.

She says Jason had been struggling after the deaths of his parents — his mom died of dementia, and his father died of a heart attack an hour later. He spent November going through their belongings and had a tough time once they returned home to Boston.

She says he walked out while she was filling the dogs’ water bowl … something she only knows from security camera footage. She still doesn’t know why he left, and the medical examiner hasn’t provided details about his death.