Chilling new details have emerged in the mysterious death of Melissa Casias, an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, whose skeletal remains were discovered in Carson National Forest on May 28. An autopsy report revealed Casias was shot in the head, but investigators have been unable to definitively determine if the wound was self-inflicted or the result of foul play.
Casias vanished on June 26, 2025, leaving her home without identification, keys, or a phone. Her body was found 11 months later, propped against a tree with a handgun nearby. The official autopsy noted the gunshot occurred around the time of her death, a period described as 'perimortem,' but the cause of death remains undetermined due to the advanced decomposition of her remains.
The bullet entered the base of Casias's skull and exited through the left temple, damaging the C1 vertebra in her upper neck. The report also indicated that her left hand and leg were found approximately 20 feet from the body and showed signs of scavenging by wildlife. The proximity of the handgun to the body and the angle of the entry wound have led one anonymous law enforcement source to believe the death was a murder.
"There's no way this was suicide, not from that angle," the source told the Daily Mail, explaining that the gun's recoil would have altered the bullet's trajectory if Casias had been holding it in the reported position. "The kickback would have made the gun go straight up. That's ridiculous. She was murdered."
New Mexico State Police have stated that their investigation is ongoing. Casias's husband, Mark, was reportedly one of the last people to see her alive on the morning of her disappearance, when he was dropped off at LANL for work. Casias told her daughter she would be working from home that day after forgetting her work badge.
However, Casias never arrived at LANL. Upon returning home, her family found a drop of blood inside the house, and both of Casias's cellphones had been wiped and reset to factory settings. She was last seen on surveillance footage walking alone on State Road 518, about three miles from her home, around 2:20 p.m.
David Adams, a lawyer representing Casias's parents and siblings, previously raised concerns about the investigation. He revealed that relatives and volunteers found additional evidence, including bones, torn clothing, a tobacco pouch, and hair strands, in Carson National Forest nearly a month after police had declared the crime scene clear. Adams suggested these findings could call into question law enforcement's handling of the scene.
Casias's work at LANL, a facility involved in nuclear research, has fueled speculation that her disappearance could be linked to a plot to steal classified government data. Her case has been connected to several other missing persons in the Southwest, including a retired LANL employee and a former US Air Force General who oversaw military ties to the lab. The White House has reportedly ordered the FBI to investigate potential links between these disappearances and deaths, though Adams noted there has been no indication of an FBI investigation into Casias's death.
