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Adversaries may have taken missing US scientists, lawmaker says

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by Rich McHugh - 04/22/26 3:20 PM ET

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by Rich McHugh - 04/22/26 3:20 PM ET

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(NewsNation) — American adversaries may be involved in the cases of more than 10 U.S. scientists who are reported missing or dead, a lawmaker told NewsNation.

Missing scientists: China, Russia or Iran could be involved, lawmaker says

As the House Oversight Committee launches an investigation into the researcher disappearances and deaths, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., thinks adversaries, such as China, Russia or Iran, could be connected.

“I would not be surprised if our adversaries, China, Russia, Iran, or any other adversary saw an opportunity to take out some of our nation’s top scientists,” Burlison told NewsNation.

American researchers would be ‘easy target’: Representative

Burlison said he’s “worried for the rest of our nation’s scientists” as the disappearances and deaths receive renewed attention.

“These scientists are not hardened. They don’t have a security detail. So they would be a very easy target,” Burlison said of the missing and deceased researchers.

UFO mystery: FBI investigates missing scientists

In a statement to NewsNation, the FBI said they are investigating.

“The FBI is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists. We are working with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our state and local law enforcement partners to find answers.”

One of those cases is that of Monica Jacinto Reza, 60, who is listed on LinkedIn as a fellow in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Aerojet Rocketdyne, a rocket engine design and production company headquartered in the San Fernando Valley. She has not been seen since going for a hike in Los Angeles in 2025.

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“The case remains an active missing person investigation. At this time, there are no clear indications of foul play; however, investigators are continuing to evaluate all possibilities and are not ruling anything out,” the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department told NewsNation in a statement.

The list of U.S. researchers who went missing or died over the past few years has caught President Donald Trump’s attention and led to speculation about a potential link with UFOs.

Trump said last week that federal officials were reviewing the list of missing and deceased individuals.

Who are the missing or dead scientists with government ties?

Nearly a dozen researchers or people with links to aerospace or defense programs have disappeared or died in circumstances that some observers have deemed suspicious.

The highest-profile person on the list arguably is retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William McCasland, who is said to have overseen classified government programs that intersected with “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAPs.

A recent addition to the list, 34-year-old scientist Amy Eskridge, is reported to have died by suicide in 2022 in Alabama. Her father told NewsNation he accepts that, saying, “Scientists die also, just like other people.”

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