The disappearance of a Los Alamos National Laboratory employee that baffled investigators for nearly a year has taken a grim turn after her remains were discovered in a remote New Mexico forest. Melissa Casias, 54, vanished in June 2025 and was the subject of an extensive search effort.

Melissa Casias went missing last June after dropping her husband at their Los Alamos laboratory and was last seen walking along a state highway.

The body of a missing nuclear lab worker has been found, 11 months after she vanished without a trace under disturbing circumstances and fears she held classified secrets.