The White House says it's looking into several deaths and disappearances of people with ties to the U.S. scientific community in the last few years, asking federal investigators to see if there is any relation between the cases.
"I hope it's random," President Donald Trump said when asked by a reporter about the claims. "Pretty serious stuff... Hopefully, I don't know, coincidence, whatever you want to call it. But some of them were very important people, and we're going to look at it over the next short period."
Trump said he had just left a meeting on the topic.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on April 17 that the administration is working with "relevant" agencies and the FBI and said "no stone will be unturned."
The news from the White House follows weeks of tabloid reports, internet speculation and inconsistent reporting.
