A NASA nuclear scientist died after a fiery crash in a rural Alabama town last year, which at the time caused suspicion among family members.
Joshua LeBlanc, 29, died in a fiery crash in his Tesla on July 22, 2025. The crash happened in Huntsville, Alabama where his Tesla was found burned beyond recognition at about 2:45 in the afternoon, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told Fox News Digital. The vehicle collided with a guardrail, then several trees, before the vehicle burst into flames.
At 4:32 a.m. on the same day, LeBlanc's family reported him missing, according to Mars and science missions to the outer solar system," according to the government agency's nuclear science and space research, have died or gone missing since 2022, some under mysterious circumstances.
Monica Reza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; Steven Garcia, 48; and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, were all reported missing throughout 2023 to 2026, with each of their disappearances considered suspicious.
Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; and Carl Grillmair, 47, all died between 2022 and 2026.
Hicks, Maiwald and Reza were all connected to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The deaths and disappearances have not been officially connected in any way, but they have caught the attention of the White House.
"I hope it's random, but we're going to know in the next week and a half," Trump told reporters last week. "I just left a meeting on that subject."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the FBI confirmed the agency is working alongside other federal authorities in the investigation into the 11 missing and deceased scientists.
"The FBI is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists," the agency said. "We are working with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our state and local law enforcement partners to find answers."
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which investigated LeBlanc's death, shared a press release from July of last year reiterating details of the crash.
Fox News' Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.