Featured Image Credit: GoFundMe/Jose and Joanne Mondragon
The family of a missing Los Alamos National Laboratory worker has issued a heartbreaking update after remains were found in a national forest nearly a year after she vanished.
The case has continued to draw attention because of the unanswered questions surrounding her disappearance, as well as her connection to one of the most famous research sites in the US.
At the time, the 53-year-old was working as an administrative assistant at the New Mexico laboratory, where her husband also worked.
She was reported missing on June 26, 2025, after failing to arrive at work. Her family later found some of her belongings at home, including keys and a mobile phone that had been reset to factory settings.
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Now, authorities have confirmed the remains discovered by a hiker on May 28 have been identified as Melissa Casias.
The discovery was made in the McGaffey Ridge area of Carson National Forest, around six miles from her family home near Taos.
New Mexico State Police said a handgun was found alongside Casias’ remains, although the cause and manner of her death have not yet been determined.
In a statement shared on social media, as reported by Newsweek, her family said: "We confirm that the remains found in Rio Chiquito are Melissa. There will be more information to come but what we can tell you now is she was located in an area previously searched. This is a lot to process, our hearts are heavy and we fully intend to continue to pursue answers for justice."
Casias’ husband, Mark, previously said she had dropped him off at the laboratory on the day she disappeared.
He said she was then meant to go to another location within the lab to complete a work task, but she did not return.
State police Sergeant Ricardo Breceda said last year that Casias had been seen walking by an acquaintance on State Road 518 on the same day she was reported missing.
Her disappearance became part of a wider pattern of missing or deceased scientists and government-linked workers, particularly because of her role at Los Alamos National Laboratory. However, no established link has been made between Casias’ case and any of the other disappearances or deaths that have been discussed online.
Casias had worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory since March 2023. Before that, she worked at New Mexico Highlands University as an executive administrative assistant for finance, administration, and government relations.
On the GoFundMe page previously set up by her family, she was described as ‘a beautiful, wonderful person’ and ‘an amazing daughter, sister, wife and mother’.
