Evidence discovered near the skeletal remains of Melissa Casias, a nuclear lab assistant who vanished in June last year and was found dead 11 months later, has raised concerns about the initial police investigation, according to the family's attorney.
David Adams of Parnall and Adams Law told the Daily Mail that a trove of evidence was uncovered in New Mexico's Carson National Forest in late June, nearly a month after New Mexico State Police had declared the crime scene clear and removed Casias's remains. The items found by an independent search, including bones, torn and bloody clothing, orange peels, and strands of hair, were not collected by police when the 53-year-old's body was found on May 28.
The family attorney stated that loved ones believed Casias did not take her own life and had no reason to disappear. Adams suggested that the body may have been moved to the location, noting that the hair found appeared to be horse hair, which could indicate its use in transporting a body. "In my mind, when you see that, you kind of go, okay, well, I could see that you would need a horse to get her up there if you were moving a body, for instance, because how you would otherwise do that," Adams said.
Family members and volunteers also found shredded paper, believed to be in Casias's handwriting, and what appears to be a tobacco pouch, though Casias reportedly did not use tobacco. Adams questioned the integrity of the crime scene if such items were overlooked by law enforcement.
Casias, an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory, disappeared on June 26 last year. She left her home without her purse, keys, or wallet, and her two mobile phones were later found reset to factory settings, with all data wiped. A drop of blood was reportedly discovered inside her home.
A handgun was found near her skeletal remains, but police have not released details about its ownership, whether it was fired, or if fingerprints were found on it. An anonymous law enforcement source indicated that this information should have been readily available to investigators.
Initial CT scans of Casias's skull did not show signs of a gunshot wound, and a bullet casing has not been found at the scene. Adams noted that the area where Casias was discovered would have been difficult to access on foot.
Casias is one of four individuals with ties to the state's nuclear weapons facilities who have vanished under similar circumstances in the past year. These cases include fellow Los Alamos National Laboratory employee Anthony Chavez, government contractor Steven Garcia, and retired Air Force General William Neil McCasland. The FBI has stated it is investigating potential connections between these disappearances and deaths among NASA scientists.
Adams disputed claims of federal involvement in the Casias case, stating there had been no contact with the FBI and no signs of a federal presence. The new evidence recovered from Carson National Forest has been turned over to authorities. The Office of the Medical Investigator has not yet revealed an official cause of death or whether the case is being treated as a suicide or murder.