Rep. Eric Burlison has emerged as one of the few Republican lawmakers who has been vocal about raising questions on the missing scientists' cases in the United States and whether the cases could be connected. The Missouri congressman is now pressing for answers in the mystery case where at least 13 Americans linked to science, nuclear, and military research have died or gone missing since 2022, urging the FBI to clarify whether a formal investigation is underway.
The 49-year-old lawmaker said he directly approached the investigation agency regarding the suspicious death of Matthew Sullivan, a former US Air Force intelligence officer, but claimed the agency would neither confirm nor deny if it had opened an investigation.
“I asked the FBI directly if they had opened an investigation into Matthew Sullivan's suspicious death,” he said in an X post on Thursday, April 30. “They would not confirm or deny. I've been pushing on this for almost a year. The American people deserve straight answers from their FBI. Period.”
Burlison earlier wrote on X, “The count is up to 13. Thirteen American scientists tied to nuclear and space research, missing or dead. Every adversary on the planet celebrates each one we lose. We are weaker as a nation today because of these losses, and I'm working to get answers.”
One of the most discussed cases in the growing list of scientist deaths is that of Matthew Sullivan, a former US Air Force intelligence officer. According to the New York Post, Sullivan, 39, was found dead at his home in Falls Church, Virginia, on May 12, 2024. His death was ruled an accidental drug overdose and came shortly after he had agreed to testify before Congress regarding government UFO programs.
Sullivan had a long background in national security and intelligence work. As cited in his obituary, he earned a Bronze Star during Operation Enduring Freedom and later served at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Air Force Intelligence Agency.
Retired Major Gen. David Abba, who previously served as director of special programs and later led the Department of Defense Special Access Program Central Office, said Sullivan carried knowledge few people in the country truly understood.
“Sullivan held ‘the burden that a select few in this nation have of truly understanding what’s going on,’” Abba said at the funeral, according to the outlet.
Among the growing list of missing scientists, one of the most high-profile cases was the disappearance of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland earlier this year. McCasland, a former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, had direct ties to Los Alamos National Laboratory, the highly sensitive facility known for top-secret nuclear research, making his disappearance a major point of concern.
Since 2022, at least 13 individuals, most of them connected to nuclear science, aerospace, or defense research, have reportedly died or gone missing.
Reported missing cases
President Donald Trump on Thursday, April 30 addressed the matter when asked by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, calling the situation “very serious,” but said investigators have not yet found strong evidence linking the cases together.
The 49-year-old lawmaker said he directly approached the investigation agency regarding the suspicious death of Matthew Sullivan, a former US Air Force intelligence officer, but claimed the agency would neither confirm nor deny if it had opened an investigation.
“I asked the FBI directly if they had opened an investigation into Matthew Sullivan's suspicious death,” he said in an X post on Thursday, April 30. “They would not confirm or deny. I've been pushing on this for almost a year. The American people deserve straight answers from their FBI. Period.”
Burlison earlier wrote on X, “The count is up to 13. Thirteen American scientists tied to nuclear and space research, missing or dead. Every adversary on the planet celebrates each one we lose. We are weaker as a nation today because of these losses, and I'm working to get answers.”
Matthew Sullivan case
One of the most discussed cases in the growing list of scientist deaths is that of Matthew Sullivan, a former US Air Force intelligence officer. According to the New York Post, Sullivan, 39, was found dead at his home in Falls Church, Virginia, on May 12, 2024. His death was ruled an accidental drug overdose and came shortly after he had agreed to testify before Congress regarding government UFO programs.
Sullivan had a long background in national security and intelligence work. As cited in his obituary, he earned a Bronze Star during Operation Enduring Freedom and later served at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Air Force Intelligence Agency.
Retired Major Gen. David Abba, who previously served as director of special programs and later led the Department of Defense Special Access Program Central Office, said Sullivan carried knowledge few people in the country truly understood.
“Sullivan held ‘the burden that a select few in this nation have of truly understanding what’s going on,’” Abba said at the funeral, according to the outlet.
Missing scientists and suspicious deaths
Among the growing list of missing scientists, one of the most high-profile cases was the disappearance of retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland earlier this year. McCasland, a former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, had direct ties to Los Alamos National Laboratory, the highly sensitive facility known for top-secret nuclear research, making his disappearance a major point of concern.
Full list of missing scientists
Since 2022, at least 13 individuals, most of them connected to nuclear science, aerospace, or defense research, have reportedly died or gone missing.
Reported missing cases
- William Neil McCasland, 68 – Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. and former commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory; linked to Los Alamos National Laboratory, missing since February 27, 2026.
- Monica Reza, 60 – Reported missing since June 22, 2025 connected to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Melissa Casias, 53 – Worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, reported missing since June 26, 2025
- Anthony Chavez, 79 – Also worked in the leading nuclear research facility in New Mexico. disappeared on May 4, 2025, last seen leaving his home on foot.
- Steven Garcia, 48 – Government contractor at Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) missing from August 28, 2025, after leaving his home in Albuquerque on foot while carrying only a handgun.
- Matthew Sullivan, 39 – Former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer; died in May 2024 in Falls Church, Virginia
- Michael David Hicks, 59 – Died on July 30, 2023 ; connected to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Frank Maiwald, 61 – Died July 4, 2024, in Los Angeles, California; connected to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Nuno Loureiro, 47 – Professor of nuclear science and engineering and of physics at MIT, died on December 2025
- Jason Thomas, 45 – Novartis researcher, disappeared on December 12, 2025, body found in a Massachusetts lake on March 17, 2026.
- Amy Eskridge, 34 – Alabama-based researcher died on June 11, 2022
- Carl Grillmair, 47 – Astronomer at Caltech's IPAC science and data center, died ‘suddenly’ on February 16, 2026
- Joshua LeBlanc, 29 – NASA electrical engineer, died in a fiery crash in his Tesla on July 22, 2025
President Donald Trump on Thursday, April 30 addressed the matter when asked by Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, calling the situation “very serious,” but said investigators have not yet found strong evidence linking the cases together.
