What we know about deaths, disappearances of staff at government labs

U.S. Speculation swirls around deaths and disappearances of staff at secretive government laboratories. Here's what we know. By Anna Schecter, Anna Schecter Senior Coordinating Producer, Crime and Public Safety Unit Anna Schecter is the senior coordinating producer for CBS News and Stations' Crime and Public Safety Unit, based in New York. Read Full Bio Anna Schecter, Daniel Klaidman, Daniel Klaidman Daniel Klaidman, an investigative reporter based in New York, is the former editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and former managing editor of Newsweek. He has over two decades of experience covering politics, foreign affairs, national security and law. Read Full Bio Daniel Klaidman, Callie Teitelbaum April 17, 2026 / 5:19 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google President Trump hinted this week that something sinister may lurk behind the disappearance or death of 10 government workers tied to sensitive nuclear or space technology, but those close to the various investigations into the disparate cases say they see no links."I just left a meeting on that subject, so pretty serious stuff," Mr. Trump told reporters Thursday. "Hopefully, coincidence... but some of them were very important people, and we are going to look at it."Social media has recently lit up with theories about the disappearances and deaths, which occurred over three years and involved several researchers and other staff with ties to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Speculation has swirled about whether there's some kind of plot to harm U.S. nuclear or space programs. But those involved in the various cases have said that what underlies these deaths and disappearances is not a spy-thriller plot, but something more personal and tragic.Retired Major General William Neil McCasland, 68, was last seen at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late February. His wife, Susan McCasland Wilkerson, said in a Facebook post that it "seems quite unlikely that he was taken to extract...