According to an April 17 report from The Hill, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration is investigating whether there are any connections between multiple deaths and disappearances of American scientists over the past nearly three years.
She posted on X that the White House is working with the FBI and other relevant agencies to review all cases holistically and identify possible common links.
Leavitt said: “No leads will be overlooked in this effort, and the White House will release updates promptly once there are new developments.”
Multiple unusual cases draw attention
Recent reports say at least 10 deaths or disappearances involving experts in the U.S. space, defense, and nuclear sectors have raised concern within the scientific community. The consolidated disclosure of these cases this month has triggered widespread discussion.
U.S. law enforcement agencies have not confirmed any official connection between the cases.
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The earliest case dates back to July 2023, when physicist Michael David Hicks, who worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and studied comets and asteroids, died. His cause of death has not been publicly released.
In addition, NewsNation reported several incidents this year, including:
- In February, astrophysicist Carl Grillmair of Caltech was shot and killed.
- Also in February, retired U.S. Air Force General William Neil McCasland went missing in New Mexico.
- Pharmaceutical researcher Jason Thomas was found in a lake in Massachusetts about three months after he went missing.
Other cases include individuals who disappeared or died at home, on hiking routes, or on highways. At least one person died from a gunshot wound at home, while the causes of death in other cases have not been disclosed.
Trump says he has been briefed, FBI involved
President Trump told reporters on Thursday that he had just finished a meeting on the issue and described the situation as “quite serious.”
“I hope it’s just random, but we’ll know within about a week and a half,” Trump said, adding that some of the victims “are very important people.”
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker said in an interview with NewsNation host Elizabeth Vargas that if there is a systematic targeting pattern, the FBI should get involved.
He said: “If someone is conducting espionage on these people, abducting them to obtain knowledge, or trying to stop their research, then the FBI must take it very seriously.”
Swecker also said he does not believe alien abduction is likely, and instead suggested that if the incidents are not random, they are more likely related to modern espionage.
UFO report expected soon sparks renewed attention
Meanwhile, the New York Post reported on April 18 that Trump said an initial report from the Pentagon on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) will be released “very soon.”
Speaking at a Turning Point USA rally north of Phoenix, Arizona, Trump said the audience was “very interested” in the topic.
“I just spoke with War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and we’ll be releasing some initial findings very soon,” he said.
“We’ve found a lot of very interesting documents. The first information will be released soon—you can decide for yourselves whether these phenomena are real.”
He also noted that in February he said he would push for the release of government documents related to extraterrestrial life and UAPs, and stated on Truth Social that the area has “attracted enormous attention,” instructing relevant agencies to begin declassification procedures.
In recent years, the U.S. Congress has passed the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act, and the Pentagon has established the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office to improve investigation and transparency around such events.
