Autopsy Finds Gunshot Death but No Clear Cause for Los Alamos Scientist
An autopsy of Los Alamos National Laboratory employee Melissa Casias confirmed a fatal headshot, but could not determine if it was self-inflicted.
The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator released an autopsy indicating that Melissa Casias, a 54-year-old Los Alamos National Laboratory staffer, suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head, but the report could not establish whether the injury was self-inflicted, accidental, or homicidal because her remains were highly decomposed. Casias was reported missing by her daughter in June 2025 after personal items were found at her Taos home, and her body was discovered in late May by a hiker in a remote northern forest, close to a handgun.
The investigation is linked to a broader FBI inquiry into at least ten federal scientists or staff members connected to highly sensitive national-security research who have died or vanished. Limited forensic evidence prevented officials from assessing the shooting range, additional injuries, or underlying health conditions. Casias’s family, using a dedicated Facebook page, has expressed disbelief that she would have taken her own life and is urging a deeper probe. The unresolved manner of death adds complexity to the ongoing federal investigation.
Why it matters
The unclear cause of death fuels a federal investigation into possible threats against scientists handling sensitive national-security work.
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