Lab worker who vanished last year found dead in New Mexico national forest

U.S. Lab worker who vanished last year found dead in New Mexico national forest By Emily Mae Czachor Emily Mae Czachor News Editor Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and climate. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek. Read Full Bio Emily Mae Czachor June 1, 2026 / 3:13 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Remains found in a New Mexico national forest have been identified as those of Melissa Casias, a worker at the Los Alamos National Laboratory who disappeared last year, authorities announced over the weekend.New Mexico State Police said the remains were discovered by a hiker last week in the McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest, a massive expanse of wilderness that is within driving distance of Taos, the city where she was from. A handgun was found near the remains, state police said. Casias would have been 53.The medical examiner's office will continue to conduct tests to determine the cause and manner of her death, according to police. When they shared her identity Saturday, neither of those rulings had been made yet.Casias was employed as an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, her niece, Jazmin McMillen, previously told CBS News. She was the second person employed at the laboratory to go missing last year, following the disappearance of Anthony Chavez, 78, in May. Both are among a group of at least 10 missing or deceased scientists and laboratory staff who worked at sensitive nuclear or space technology labs, law enforcement officials have told CBS News. The FBI is leading an investigation into possible connections between the cases. Melissa Casias Find Melissa Mondragon Casias/Facebook Casias was reported missing on June 26, 2025, after failing to show up to work or return home that evening after visiting her daughter, state police said. Family members later found her personal belon...