The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the deaths or disappearances of at least 10 scientists and examining possible links, US media reported Wednesday. The men were involved in government research projects or had access to sensitive information.
The first incident occurred in 2023, when Michael Hicks, a comet and asteroid scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died, CNN reported. Since then, a number of scientists have died or gone missing, including space researchers, aerospace engineers, nuclear energy researchers and university researchers, etc. . Some of these cases have been opened for investigation by police. There is no evidence of a direct link between the incidents.
The FBI said it was leading the investigation and coordinating with the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense and state and local law enforcement. In an interview with the media, FBI Director Cash Patel said the investigation will focus on whether there are potential links between the incidents, including whether it involves classified access, access to sensitive information.
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said the dead and missing scientists“Had access to sensitive scientific information” and had opened an investigation into the incidents, it also asked for briefings from the FBI, Pentagon, Department of Energy and NASA.
NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens said in a post on social media platform X that there were no indications of a national security threat related to NASA, it said it was coordinating its investigation with other agencies.
The White House said it was conducting a comprehensive review of all incidents with agencies and the FBI to see if there were commonalities.