Tag: mysterious disappearances

Missing German Model’s Name Surfaces in Epstein Files 11 Years After Disappearance, Family Fears She Was Killed by Sex Traffickers

The name of a young German model who vanished without a trace in 2015 has appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files, raising fresh and disturbing questions about whether she was targeted by the convicted sex offender’s network.

The woman, identified only as “Michele” at her family’s request, was 22 years old when she left her mother’s home in Germany in early September 2015 with a suitcase.

She has not been heard from since.

Michele’s name emerged in emails contained in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The emails involve Daniel Siad, a Swedish-French modeling scout who appears extensively in the documents, more than 1,000 times in some batches.

According to a report from Speigel International, her family only recently learned that her name appears multiple times in U.S. Department of Justice documents connected to Epstein.

In 2014, one year before Michele disappeared, Siad sent Epstein photos of the young German woman.

In one message, he referred to her as “the girl you missed from Germany” and wrote, “You will love her.”

According to reporting by Der Spiegel, Michele had met Siad in Dubai in 2012. She allegedly worked for him as an escort. Siad positioned himself in communications with Epstein as someone who recruited or “caught” young women across Europe for the financier.

Michele had dreams of becoming a famous model and frequently traveled internationally.

According to her family, it was not unusual for her to leave suddenly.

In early September 2015, she told relatives she was heading out but provided no details about where she was going or when she would return.

German authorities treated the case as a standard missing-person report at the time, but did not launch a major investigation.

Nearly 11 years later, Michele would be 33.

Her mother, Annett, told investigators from Der Spiegel and German public broadcaster ZDF that she now fears the worst.

“I think she’s no longer alive,” Annett said. “That something was done to her.”

Her father has expressed hope for answers while urging German police to reopen and expand the investigation.

Siad has come under increasing legal pressure in Europe. He is currently under investigation in France for human trafficking and related allegations.

Multiple women have accused him of grooming and procuring them for Epstein or his associates, even after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Siad has denied any wrongdoing. He has claimed his interactions were professional.

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Cause of Death for Missing Scientist and Nuclear Lab Employee Reportedly Revealed

The cause of death for the missing scientist who was discovered dead in a New Mexico forest has been reportedly revealed, but it is simply raising more questions.

As The Gateway Pundit reported on Monday, New Mexico State Police announced that they identified the remains of 54-year-old Melissa Casias, a scientist and nuclear lab employee, who worked as an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).

Casias was last seen alive on June 26, 2025. Her body was found in the McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest.

This is about six miles from the last place Casias was seen walking before being declared missing.

Although the New Mexico State Police have yet to release an official cause of death, the Daily Mail has learned that her body had a gunshot wound to the skull, and a gun was found close by.

In addition, her body was found skeletonized and propped up in a seated position against a tree in a remote part of the National Forest.

While at first glance this may suggest suicide, Arizona-based investigator Thomas McNally does not agree. He has been working on the case of Casias’s disappearance on behalf of her parents, Joe and Joanne Mondragon.

He suspects that foul play was involved in her death.

“It’s great that the press is getting this story out there because of the Los Alamos stuff,” McNally said, “But it has nothing to do with LANL. If you want to tell the story, tell a real story.”

“I want to be emphatic on this point – this is in no way, shape, or form related to her job,” he added.

Adding to the mystery is that The Mail previously noted that she had left ALL RECORDS from her phones (she had more than one), and her identification behind.

Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told the Daily Mail in March that he thought Casias’s disappearance was part of a bigger pattern involving individuals who had access to top-secret government research.

Swecker theorized that Casias’s work at LANL made her a target for abduction. The reason is that an administrative assistant often has access to the same sensitive files as their superiors.

“In a classified lab, or just a high clearance lab, they would basically be in the know on what’s going on,” Swecker explained. “And it wouldn’t be the first time their administrative assistant has been targeted.”

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Missing Scientist Melissa Casias Body Found ‘Skeletonized’

Missing government worker Melissa Casias has been found dead … with her body “skeletonized” and a gunshot wound to her skull, a report says.

According to New Mexico State Police, a hiker found “human remains” at McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest … who authorities have ID’ed as Melissa. They also said a gun was found “alongside the remains.”

NMSP hasn’t announced cause or manner of death, but investigator Thomas McNally — who’d been looking into the case for Melissa’s parents — told DailyMail that her body was “skeletonized,” sitting against a tree with a gunshot wound in her skull.

McNally claims Melissa was wearing “sun-bleached clothing” and her body didn’t show any signs of animal activity.

Melissa — who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory — disappeared about a year ago, after she dropped her husband off at the lab, where he also worked.

Her case has made headlines because she’s one of at least 10 government workers and scientists who have died or gone missing since 2023.

But McNally insists Melissa’s death has “nothing to do” with those other cases, telling DailyMail … “I want to be emphatic on this point — this is in no way, shape, or form related to her job.”

He does, however, believe there’s foul play involved and says her family is filing a civil suit against NMSP … because they believe they botched the case.

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Missing Scientist and Nuclear Lab Employee Found DEAD in New Mexico Forest as the Shocking Circumstances Surrounding Her Disappearance are Revealed

A missing scientist has been discovered dead in a New Mexico forest, but that is just the beginning of a more harrowing and stunning story.

As The Daily Mail reported on Monday, New Mexico State Police announced that they identified the remains of 54-year-old Melissa Casias, a scientist and nuclear lab employee, who worked as an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The Office of the Medical Investigator in New Mexico has not yet determined the cause of her death.

Casias was last seen alive on June 26, 2025. Her body was found in the McGaffey Ridge area of the Carson National Forest.

This is about six miles from the last place Casias was seen walking before being declared missing.

It’s unknown how long Casias’s body was in the forest before it was found. But it’s surprising it took this long because this is a part of a US Forest Service restoration project where crews have been working consistently since December 2025.

Casia’s disappearance and death are also quite alarming. The Mail notes that she previously left ALL RECORDS from her phones (she had more than one), left her identification behind, and vanished last June.

Sounds like something straight out of a spy thriller. What was going on?

From the Daily Mail:

Casias vanished after dropping off her husband, another LANL employee, at the facility that June morning, approximately 70 miles from their home. That was when Casias’s behavior allegedly became unusual, as she claimed she would need to return home after forgetting the badge needed to access the nuclear lab.

According to her husband, Mark, a superintendent at the lab, Casias had the security badge with her when she dropped him off that morning, as she would have needed the badge to get past the security checkpoints.

When Casias arrived in Ranchos de Taos, the couple’s daughter, Sierra, reportedly told investigators that her mother visited the teen’s place of work to drop off a sandwich and then said she planned to work from home after forgetting the badge needed to access the nuclear lab.

The wife and mother then wiped all records from her phones before leaving them and her identification behind and walking out of her home in Ranchos de Taos.

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Police confirm body is missing Taos woman, LANL worker

New Mexico State Police confirmed Saturday night that human remains discovered off Rio Chiquito Road southeast of Taos belong to Melissa Casias, the missing Ranchos de Taos woman and Los Alamos National Laboratory worker who disappeared last June.

The single lane dirt road — Forest Road 437 — is accessible from N.M. 518 in Talpa, where security camera footage captured the last known sighting of Casias on June 26 of last year. Rio Chiquito Road extends deep into the Carson National Forest and provides access to the Garcia Park recreation area and several trails.

The body was discovered by a hiker in the McGaffey Ridge area of the national forest.

The Office of the Medical Investigator positively identified the deceased individual as Casias, however the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined, according to a state police press release. Police said a handgun was found “alongside the remains.”

The remains will undergo “further anthropological examination” by the medical investigator, according to state police, who “extend their deepest condolences to the Casias and Mondragon families during this difficult time.”

Jazmin McMillen, Casias’ niece, posted an official statement from the family on a Facebook page dedicated to finding the missing wife and mother. 

“We confirm that the remains found in Rio Chiquito are Melissa,” the post states. “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.”  

An investigation into the circumstances of Casias’ disappearance and her death is ongoing.

Casias, who lived with her husband in Ranchos de Taos, was reported missing after her daughter, Sierra Casias, came home from work and discovered her mother’s keys, wallet, and work and personal cell phones — both wiped of data — inside the house. Her mother’s car was parked outside the home and the front door was locked. Melissa Casias was an administrative assistant at LANL, where her husband, Mark Casias, also worked.

Her disappearance drew national media attention and has been featured on the Crime Junkie podcast, which reported the discovery of the human remains in a social media post Friday evening (May 29).

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Chilling bodycam reveals UFO-linked Air Force general met shadowy Pentagon unit before he vanished… and his perplexed wife’s reaction

Newly released bodycam footage has revealed a shocking meeting between a missing Air Force general and members of the Pentagon‘s shadowy space unit just hours before his disappearance. 

Police officers in New Mexico were recording as they spoke with a witness who allegedly had dinner with William Neil McCasland the night before he vanished without a trace on February 27.

McCasland is a retired Air Force Major General who has been linked to both US nuclear research and classified UFO-related programs during his career.

The bodycam footage, obtained by the Law&Crime Network, captured a phone call with an unidentified woman who said McCasland met with her and members of the US Space Force at a restaurant in Albuquerque around 6pm local time.

Officially, the Space Force equips the military for operations in space, protecting satellites and other assets from threats, but the newest branch of the armed forces also tracks unexplained space objects, such as UFOs, as part of national security.

The unnamed caller claimed she worked with McCasland, who was still a member of the Kirtland Partnership, a nonprofit working to protect and expand Kirtland Air Force Base, a major military research facility and nuclear weapons lab.

Previously, McCasland’s wife, Susan Wilkerson, had posted online that the retired general only had ‘very commonly held clearances’ since retiring from the Air Force 13 years ago, but the new witness revealed that the 68-year-old was still a key figure in secretive government circles.

‘He was the head of Air Force Research Lab to the point the man’s names are in the UFO documents that are fixed to be released,’ the witness claimed. ‘He’s in that depth, so he has a very high security clearance.’

However, the woman who met with McCasland said something seemed wrong during the meeting with Space Force and the retired general was not acting like himself that night.

‘I was shocked this morning when I saw the alert because what I noticed Thursday evening [February 26] is that he wasn’t his usual self. He was kind of spacey and quiet and you know that that happens with people.’

The newly obtained bodycam footage also revealed the conversation between officers from the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office and Wilkerson, revealing that McCasland’s disappearance caught her completely off guard.

However, she noted that the retired general was just prescribed a new medication hours before he vanished, which was supposed to help battle several symptoms he was having that may have been signaling cognitive decline.

‘Today he had taken a drug that the doctor prescribed last night that was supposed to help him sleep,’ she said in the bodycam recording obtained by Law&Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber.

‘With weight gain, he’s lost about 20 pounds for no reason, and with anxiety, today he woke up and said, “Well, I have got better sleep, but it’s like the after effects of a bad hangover. I’m just foggy. I can’t get any motivation to do anything.”‘ 

McCasland was reportedly seeing doctors for his physical and mental difficulties. Before police arrived at the home, Wilkerson had told 911 dispatchers the military veteran feared his brain was ‘deteriorating.’

He was last seen leaving his home without his phone, wearable devices or any identification and his wife told authorities she believed McCasland ‘had planned not to be found.’

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GOP Congressman Tom Kean Provides Update After Missing More Than 50 Roll Call Votes Since Early March

Last month, it was reported that Rep. Thomas Kean (R-NJ) had missed more than 50 roll call votes.

Speaker Johnson told ABC News that Rep. Kean is dealing with personal health matters.

“I was happy to speak to Tom Kean, Jr. this afternoon by phone. He is attending to a personal health matter and expects to be back to 100% very soon,” Johnson told ABC News last month.

“Tom is one of the most dedicated and hardest-working Members of Congress, and I am grateful for all he does and will continue to do to serve New Jerseyans and our country,” Johnson said.

Tom Kean eventually broke his silence and thanked his constituents for their patience as he addressed his personal medical issue.

The lawmaker told the New Jersey Globe that he expects to return to a full schedule in the next few weeks.

Kean is also running for reelection.

The New Jersey Globe reported:

Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-Westfield) told the New Jersey Globe that he is nearing a return to work and intends to discuss publicly the health issue that has sidelined him since March. He also confirmed that he will seek re-election to a third term this year.

“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” said Kean in a lengthy telephone interview this afternoon. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”

Kean, 57, said his prognosis is positive, with no expected long-term effects or chronic health complications. He said his medical issue would not affect his cognitive health.

He also laid out a rough timetable of his return.

“I anticipate that in the next couple of weeks, I’ll return to voting and to the campaign trail,” Kean stated.

In the meantime, the two-term Republican lawmaker said he is in daily touch with his congressional office and monitoring issues facing Congress and his district.

Kean was also clear about his future plans.

“I’m running,” he said.

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Human Remains Found Near Guthrie Home Create New Mystery, Fail to Solve Current One

A new find near the Arizona home of Nancy Guthrie did nothing to clarify the mystery of her disappearance, but instead added a new one.

Human remains were found about five miles from the Tucson home from which Guthrie disappeared on Feb. 1, according to the New York Post.

A bone was discovered by a livestreamer who was conducting a search of the area.

Tucson police acted quickly to tamp down any speculation the bone could belong to the 84-year-old mother of “Today” host Savannah Guthrie.

“This will be a prehistoric anthropological investigation,” Tucson Police Department said, according to KVOA-TV.

Police said the bone was at least 50 years old, and there is no criminal investigation forthcoming.

The University of Arizona’s Anthropology Department is assisting the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner in ascertaining details about the bone.

The Post noted that Native American artifacts have been found in the area where the bone was found.

This week, FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the way the Pima County Sheriff’s Office conducted the early stages of the investigation into Guthrie’s disappearance

“For four days we were kept out of the investigation,” Patel said on Sean Hannity’s podcast, according to ABC News.

“The first 48 hours of anyone’s disappearance are the most critical,” he said.

Patel criticized Pima County Chris Nanos for sending DNA samples to a private lab instead of the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.

“We have Quantico, best lab in the world,” Patel said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office pushed back on both criticisms.

“Sheriff Nanos responded to the scene the night of the incident, providing immediate local leadership and oversight. A member of the FBI Task Force was also notified and present at that scene working alongside our personnel. The FBI was promptly notified by both our department and the Guthrie family. While the FBI Director was not on scene, coordination with the Bureau began without delay,” it said in a statement.

Decisions about processing evidence “were made on scene based on operational needs,” the statement said.

“The laboratory utilized by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI Laboratory in Quantico have worked in close partnership from the outset and continue to collaborate in the analysis of evidence,” the statement said.

“We remain committed to a thorough, coordinated, and fact-based investigation and will continue working closely with our federal partners as the process moves forward,” the statement said.

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Mystery as Italian model who was among first to accuse Jeffrey Epstein of sexual misconduct disappears in New York

A former Italian model who was one of the first women to accuse Jeffrey Epstein of sexual misconduct has mysteriously vanished in New York.

Elisabetta Tai Ferretto, 50, originally from Montagnana in northern Italy, has not been heard from since April 22 after returning to the US.

Ferretto, who has lived in New York since 2001, had travelled back to the Veneto region at the beginning of April to visit her parents and brother.

But after returning to Manhattan, her daily contact with her family suddenly stopped.

The former model’s loved ones said phone calls are going unanswered, and her social media profiles appear to have been deactivated or deleted. 

Her family reported her missing to prosecutors in Rovigo, who opened a case as she is an Italian citizen abroad.

The case has also been passed to Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has activated diplomatic channels with US authorities.

American officials are now understood to be investigating, but Ferretto has yet to be found safe and well.  

The former model worked in fashion after moving to the United States and later moved into the New York real estate sector.

Her name emerged publicly in 2019 when she spoke about an alleged encounter with Epstein that she said took place in 2004.

Ferretto said she had been introduced to Epstein through her agent in the fashion world after being told he could help her work with major brands.

Her agent proposed that she meet a man ‘who would change her life,’ allowing her to begin modelling for the famous Victoria’s Secret brand. 

That man was none other than Epstein himself, a trusted friend and financial advisor to Leslie Wexner, the owner of Victoria’s Secret.

She said she went to what she believed would be a professional meeting or audition at Epstein’s home on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

But Ferretto later told investigators and media outlets that she was greeted in the New York mansion by Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell and taken to his office.

There, she claimed the disgraced financier did not look at her portfolio or CV and instead undressed and lay down on a massage table.

She said she rejected him and fled from the property.

Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died in a New York jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Ferretto’s family said she had remained in regular contact with them until the day she disappeared.

They said the silence was completely out of character.

No confirmed sightings or official explanation for her disappearance have yet been made public.

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Trump says missing, dead scientists likely unrelated

FBI and experts see no consistent pattern

Federal agencies, including the FBI and NASA, are reviewing the cases but stress that no evidence supports coordinated foul play. Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer said a true conspiracy would require consistent victim profiles, access levels, and methods, which are absent here. The individuals span fields from astrophysics to pharmaceuticals, with varying clearance levels and circumstances, making a targeted operation unlikely based on current evidence. Newsweek

“Coffindaffer said a true conspiracy would show consistency: similar victims, a narrow professional focus, comparable access levels and repeated methods. Instead, the cases under scrutiny involve researchers and workers spread across multiple disciplines—from astrophysics and pharmaceuticals to administrative and contractor roles—working at different institutions and agencies.”Newsweek

Jennifer Coffindaffer, Retired FBI Special Agent

MIT professor’s murder ruled isolated incident

The FBI concluded that the killing of MIT’s Nuno Loureiro was the result of a decades-old grudge by Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, unrelated to other cases. Retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley said this case should be excluded from the broader review, underscoring the need to avoid bias and only link cases where evidence supports it. This finding narrows the pool of potentially connected incidents under federal scrutiny. Boston 25 News + 1

“You really have to check your bias at the door and say is this really a significant connection? Am I really seeing a link here? Or am I wanting to see that link?”Boston 25 News

Julia Cowley, Retired FBI Profiler

List of cases fueling public intrigue

At least a dozen cases since 2022 have drawn attention, including the disappearances of retired Air Force Major General William Neil McCasland and aerospace engineer Monica Reza, and the deaths of NASA researchers Michael David Hicks and Frank Maiwald. Some cases remain open missing‑persons investigations, others have confirmed causes like suicide or homicide, and several lack public cause-of-death details. The diversity in geography, roles, and circumstances complicates efforts to establish any overarching connection.

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