Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old employee of Los Alamos National Laboratory, is found dead in New Mexico about a year after she disappeared. Multiple outlets report that her remains are identified by New Mexico authorities following a discovery in a national forest. BBC, CBS, and The Washington Times say she went missing in June 2025, with reporting that she was last seen walking eastbound along a state highway on June 26, 2025, in the Taos area. Fox News and other outlets state that a hiker discovered her remains on May 28, and that police are investigating the death. The Guardian and Fox News also report that the remains are found alongside a handgun, though details about how it relates to the case are disputed. Fox News quotes family members and a private investigator rejecting suicide as the cause and raising questions about the circumstances. BBC notes the case has been discussed alongside online speculation about deaths and disappearances involving people in U.S. scientific and related fields, and it references speculation that investigators and others consider debunked. Across coverage, officials do not present a final determination of cause of death, and the case remains under investigation.