AFRL Cluster: Six Deaths & Disappearances (2025–2026)
One-page summary of six people connected to U.S. defense research who died or went missing between June 2025 and February 2026. Compiled April 2026.
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AFRL Cluster: Six Deaths & Disappearances (2025–2026)
Between June 2025 and February 2026, six people connected to U.S. defense research died or went missing. Three disappeared, one was killed, and two died in a murder-suicide that also killed a third person. Each was tied, directly or through where they worked, to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) or Caltech/IPAC. This page puts the cases side by side. It was compiled in April 2026.
The six
| Person | Role | What happened | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monica Jacinto Reza | Aerojet Rocketdyne / NASA JPL / Mondaloy co-inventor | Missing | June 22, 2025 |
| Melissa Casias | LANL Administrative Assistant | Missing | June 26, 2025 |
| Jacob Prichard | AFRL Sensors Directorate, TS/SCI | Died (murder-suicide) | Oct 25, 2025 |
| Jaime Gustitus | AFRL / 711th HPW, TS/SCI | Died (murder-suicide) | Oct 25, 2025 |
| Carl Grillmair | Caltech IPAC / NASA WISE / NEO Surveyor | Died (homicide) | Feb 16, 2026 |
| William Neil McCasland | AFRL Commander 2011–2013 / BlueHalo | Missing | Feb 27, 2026 |
Each case has its own note:
- Disappearance of Monica Jacinto Reza (2025)
- Disappearance of Melissa Casias (2025)
- Prichard Murder-Suicide (2025)
- Killing of Carl Grillmair (2026)
- Disappearance of Neil McCasland (2026)
The alloy
The clearest thread is one technology. Mondaloy is a nickel superalloy under U.S. export controls (ITAR), and three people are tied to it:
| Person | Role | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Dallis Hardwick | Co-inventor (Rockwell / AFRL Materials Directorate) | Died of cancer, Jan 5, 2014 |
| Monica Jacinto Reza | Co-inventor; Aerojet Rocketdyne production | Missing since June 22, 2025 |
| William Neil McCasland | AFRL commander who authorized programs | Missing since Feb 27, 2026 |
In March 2026 The Sentinel Network wrote that everyone who held the complete picture of how the alloy went from a lab bench into an American rocket engine "is now dead or missing."
What officials have said
- Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO): "The disappearance of multiple scientists and military personnel with ties to advanced research is deeply concerning. I've already requested FBI involvement."
- Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN): "There have been several others throughout the country that have disappeared under suspicious circumstances. I think we ought to be paying attention to it."
- Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director: "When I look at three missing scientists in critical technology areas... they can't have these examined in isolation."
The FBI's Albuquerque field office has confirmed it is involved in the McCasland investigation.
Sources named
- SpaceNews, a 2017 interview about mondaloy
- The Sentinel Network, an investigative series on the cases
- NBC Dateline, the Albuquerque Journal and the Taos News, on Casias
- CNN, Military.com and Newsweek, on McCasland
- Caltech IPAC, its obituary for Grillmair
- ABC7, Fox19 and WHIO, on Prichard
Last updated April 2026. At that time the three disappearances were unresolved.
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