Missing Los Alamos scientist found dead with gun but no bullet in skull
"investigators tell Los Angeles magazine that Casillas's remains were skeletonized with a handgun located near the body. But they say the initial forensic CT scan of Casillas's skull did not find any bullets or projectiles of any kind."
About this episode
NewsNation investigates a disturbing pattern of disappearances and deaths among scientists and personnel connected to America's most sensitive national security facilities, with host Elizabeth Vargas and Los Angeles Magazine contributor Lauren Conlin examining new evidence in multiple cases. The most troubling development centers on Melissa Casillas, a 53-year-old administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory who vanished in June 2025 and whose body was found nearly a year later in Carson National Forest. Despite a handgun being discovered near her skeletonized remains, a forensic CT scan found no bullets or projectiles in her skull, contradicting initial suicide theories and raising questions about whether the scene was staged. In a separate case, newly released police records reveal that retired Air Force Major General William Neil McCaslin was attempting to resign from multiple high-level defense research advisory positions just days before his disappearance, telling colleagues he "could not keep up mentally with the conversation" at Riverside Research, a Pentagon contractor. His wife's statements to police reportedly differ from her earlier public claims that he no longer held top secret clearances. The investigation also covers 78-year-old Anthony Chavez, a retired HVAC technician from Los Alamos who vanished leaving behind his car, wallet, and cigarettes, with police reports indicating he was working with an unnamed Los Alamos scientist on quantum physics research about matter existing in two places simultaneously. Family members of Casillas hired a private search team that discovered additional evidence at the death scene that police had apparently missed, including bones, torn papers possibly in Casillas's handwriting, clothing, and hair. Former FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer suggests many cases may have mundane mental health explanations, but the clustering of disappearances among Los Alamos personnel and the forensic anomalies continue to fuel speculation about foreign interference targeting America's nuclear weapons research infrastructure.
Key takeaways
- Melissa Casillas was found dead with a handgun nearby but forensic CT scan revealed no bullets or projectiles in her skull, contradicting suicide theory and suggesting possible staged crime scene.
- Retired Major General William Neil McCaslin was resigning from defense contractor roles citing inability to keep up mentally with conversations just days before vanishing from New Mexico home.
- Private search team hired by Casillas family discovered bones, torn papers with possible handwriting, clothing and hair at death scene that police had missed during initial investigation.
- Anthony Chavez, retired Los Alamos HVAC technician, vanished leaving cigarettes and car behind while allegedly working with unnamed scientist on quantum physics research about matter in two places simultaneously.
- Police reports show Casillas's car was not captured on Los Alamos surveillance the day she disappeared despite being recorded every other day for months prior.
- FBI and Congress now investigating approximately dozen cases of missing or dead scientists connected to Los Alamos, nuclear weapons research and classified defense programs.
- Casillas wiped two cell phones with factory reset before disappearing and left them on kitchen table along with purse and identification before being spotted walking alone eight miles from home.