Human remains discovered by a hiker in a northern New Mexico national forest last week have been identified as Melissa Casias, a Los Alamos National Laboratory employee who disappeared nearly a year ago, authorities said.
The remains were found May 28, nearly 11 months after she disappeared, in the McGaffey Ridge area of Carson National Forest — nearly 15 miles from her home in Taos. A handgun was found alongside the remains, the New Mexico State Police said in a news release.
The state Office of the Medical Investigator positively identified Casias, but the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, police said. The remains will undergo further anthropological examination by the Office of the Medical Investigator.
State police declined to comment further when reached by CNN on Monday. CNN has also reached out to the Office of the Medical Investigator and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Casias, 54, was last seen walking along a highway near Talpa, New Mexico, in June 2025, state police said. She had left her belongings — including her purse, identification and cellphones — at her home in Taos, nearly 8 miles away. One of her phones had been factory-reset, NBC News reported at the time.
She was reported missing on June 26, 2025, after failing to show up for work and never returning home following a visit to her daughter’s workplace, police said. At the time, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety told CNN no foul play was suspected.
Casias’ niece and sister told CNN affiliate KOAT last year the family was desperate for answers.
“No matter what, we need to find answers,” Jazmin McMillen, her niece, told the station. “We don’t want to stop looking. I think regardless of what the situation is, if she left on her own or if there’s foul play involved, we just want to find her.”
CNN has reached out to her family.
Casias is among at least 10 people tied to sensitive US nuclear and aerospace research who have died or disappeared in recent years, raising questions and fueling online speculation about possible links between the cases.
Another Los Alamos National Laboratory worker, 78-year-old retiree Anthony Chavez, also disappeared in May 2025, and police have said there are no signs of foul play.
Other cases include a retired Air Force major general who has been missing since February, when he left his New Mexico home without his phone, prescription glasses or wearable devices. That same month, nearly 800 miles away in Los Angeles County, Caltech astrophysicist Carl Grillmair was fatally shot outside his home. The suspect pleaded not guilty last week to murder and related charges and remains in custody ahead of a preliminary hearing later this week.
The Republican-led House Oversight Committee announced in April it would investigate the deaths and disappearances of individuals it said had access to sensitive scientific information. The FBI has said it is also working with the Department of Energy and other federal, state and local partners to identify any potential connections.