Melissa Casias, a 53‑year‑old nuclear lab administrative assistant from Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico, was found dead in a remote stretch of Carson National Forest on 28 May, almost a year after she vanished on 26 June 2025, and her family's lawyer now says her phones were 'wiped clean' and crucial evidence missed, sharply challenging early suggestions she died by suicide.
Casias worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the long‑running US government nuclear research facility, before she disappeared after walking out of her home without her purse, keys or wallet. According to her family, both of her phones were later discovered in the house reset to factory settings, with all call logs and messages erased, and a drop of blood was reportedly found inside the property.
