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'Sinister' links suspected successful mysterious deaths of scientists
House Oversight Chair James Comer expresses interest astir a "sinister" signifier successful the mysterious deaths and disappearances of 11 U.S. scientists progressive successful nuclear, aerospace, and defence research. Former FBI cause Nicole Parker analyzes the antithetic cases, noting missing compartment phones and wiped data. Separately, an Iranian nationalist was arrested for allegedly trafficking drones and weapons for Iran, highlighting captious nationalist information concerns for the White House and NASA.
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A NASA atomic idiosyncratic died aft a fiery clang successful a agrarian Alabama municipality past year, which astatine the clip caused suspicion among household members.
Joshua LeBlanc, 29, died successful a fiery clang successful his Tesla connected July 22, 2025. The clang happened successful Huntsville, Alabama wherever his Tesla was recovered burned beyond designation astatine astir 2:45 successful the afternoon, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told Fox News Digital. The conveyance collided with a guardrail, past respective trees, earlier the conveyance burst into flames.
At 4:32 a.m. connected the aforesaid day, LeBlanc's household reported him missing, according to KLFY. He uncharacteristically failed to amusement up to his occupation arsenic an aerospace technologies electrical technologist astatine NASA, wherever helium worked connected atomic propulsion projects.
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Joshua LeBlanc, a erstwhile NASA idiosyncratic who died successful a car clang connected July 22, 2025. Photo taken connected an chartless date. (Joshua LeBlanc/LinkedIn)
His assemblage was besides burned beyond recognition, and constabulary confirmed his individuality 3 days aboriginal aft his assemblage was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences.
At the time, his household told KLFY that they feared helium had been abducted and that helium had near his telephone and wallet successful his location astatine the clip of the disappearance.
Police tracked LeBlanc down utilizing the information from his Tesla Sentry Mode, and recovered that his conveyance sat astatine the airdrome successful Huntsville for 4 hours connected the greeting of his death. His household said his travel westbound was not portion of his program for the day, and that uncharacteristically, helium was not communicating with them.
A LinkedIn leafage for LeBlanc says helium worked astatine NASA for astir five-and-a-half years, and that helium was a squad pb for NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion (SNP) Instrumentation and Control (I&C) Maturation. NASA SNP exertion "would alteration faster and much robust proscription for unit and cargo missions to Mars and subject missions to the outer star system," according to the authorities agency's website.
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The NASA logo is displayed astatine NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory successful La Cañada Flintridge, Calif., connected Oct. 15, 2025. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
LeBlanc was aboriginal a squad pb connected NASA's Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operation (DRACO), a atomic thermal propulsion engine.
At slightest 12 different people, the immense bulk progressive successful atomic subject and abstraction research, person died oregon gone missing since 2022, immoderate nether mysterious circumstances.
Monica Reza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; Steven Garcia, 48; and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, were each reported missing passim 2023 to 2026, with each of their disappearances considered suspicious.
Jason Thomas, left, Melissa Casias, center, and Frank Maiwald are among scientists whose deaths oregon disappearances person drawn scrutiny arsenic officials reappraisal whether immoderate cases are connected. (Fox News: Sierra Casias: Legacy.com)
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Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; and Carl Grillmair, 47, each died betwixt 2022 and 2026.
Hicks, Maiwald and Reza were each connected to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The deaths and disappearances person not been officially connected successful immoderate way, but they person caught the attraction of the White House.
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"I anticipation it's random, but we're going to cognize successful the adjacent week and a half," Trump told reporters past week. "I conscionable near a gathering connected that subject."
In a connection to Fox News Digital, the FBI confirmed the bureau is moving alongside different national authorities successful the probe into the 11 missing and deceased scientists.
FBI agents basal connected the tarmac arsenic a level arrives carrying Zobaidul Amin pursuing his extradition from Malaysia to look national charges successful Alaska. (Department of Justice)
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"The FBI is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists," the bureau said. "We are moving with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our authorities and section instrumentality enforcement partners to find answers."
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The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which investigated LeBlanc's death, shared a property merchandise from July of past twelvemonth reiterating details of the crash.
Fox News' Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
Peter D'Abrosca is simply a newsman astatine Fox News Digital covering transgression and field extremism successful higher education.
Follow Peter connected X astatine @pmd_reports. Send communicative tips to [email protected].
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