Scientist missing since 2025 adds to similar cases across US
LOS ANGELES ( NewsNation ) — The disappearance of a scientist with ties to NASA is receiving new attention as similar cases arise across the U.S.
Monica Jacinto Reza, 60, was last seen June 22, 2025, around 9:10 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
She set out for a hike in Angeles National Forest, and her last known location was near the Mount Waterman area on Angeles Crest Highway.
House Oversight to investigate missing, dead US nuclear scientists
Reza, who also goes by Monica Jacinto, is listed on LinkedIn as a fellow in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Aerojet Rocketdyne, a rocket engine design and production company headquartered in the San Fernando Valley.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer said Monday the committee will launch an investigation into the cases of more than 10 U.S. scientists who are reported missing or dead.
The list of U.S. researchers who went missing or died over the past few years has caught President Donald Trump’s attention. He said last week federal officials were reviewing the list of missing and deceased individuals.
Who are the missing or dead scientists with connections to government research?
Nearly a dozen researchers or people with links to aerospace or defense programs have disappeared or died in circumstances that some observers have deemed suspicious.
Reza is described as a white woman standing around 4 feet, 11 inches tall and weighing 101 pounds. She has brown eyes and gray hair. She was last seen wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, green hiking pants and hiking shoes (pictured above).
Anyone who may know Reza’s whereabouts or has information on her disappearance is asked to call LASD’s Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. The public can also call the Crescenta Valley Station at 818-248-3464 or Detective Rincon at 323-890-5500.
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