Speculation swirls around deaths and disappearances of staff at secretive government laboratories. Here's what we know.
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- President Trump suggested a possible sinister connection behind the disappearance or death of 10 government workers linked to nuclear or space technology, but investigators see no evidence of a coordinated plot.
- The cases, spanning over three years and involving employees from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, are being investigated by the Department of Energy, with the FBI providing support but not leading the inquiries.
- Experts and officials emphasize that the deaths and disappearances likely stem from personal and tragic circumstances rather than espionage, noting the large size of the workforce and lack of a common project linking the individuals.
- Notable cases include retired Major General William Neil McCasland's unexplained disappearance in New Mexico, and several unrelated deaths such as MIT Professor Nuno Lureiro's murder and other natural or accidental fatalities.
- Despite online conspiracy theories involving espionage or UFOs, authorities and family members have found no evidence supporting these claims, describing the situations as isolated incidents without a suspicious pattern.
