​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!A series of suspicious deaths and disappearances of high-level scientists across the country over the past several years is reaching a fever pitch and catching the attention of online sleuths all the way to the White House.Since 2023, at least eight people, mostly involved in researching space and nuclear science, have died or vanished, some under murky circumstances. Some have had connections to UFO research.Asked Wednesday by Fox News’ Peter Doocy about the trend, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration will likely look into the matter.”I haven’t spoken to our relevant agencies about it. I will certainly do that, and we’ll get you an answer,” Leavitt said. “If true, of course, that’s definitely something I think this government and its administration would deem worth looking into. So let me do that for you.”1) Michael David HicksDeath: July 30, 2023Age: 59Cause of Death: Not releasedHicks was a scientist working at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1998 to 2022, according to the Daily Mail. He worked on the space program’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) project, which focused on understanding the physical properties of asteroids and comets, and whether they could be re-directed in outer space.2) Frank MaiwaldDeath: July 4, 2024Age: 61Cause of Death: Not releasedMaiwald also worked in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He designed a critical instrument for a project called Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) – Visible to Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR), a future NASA mission to launch a satellite into space and map the “living color” of the earth in far greater detail than can be observed by the human eye, according to his obituary.Just over a year before he died, he was working on a program to help astronauts on space missions identify signs of life on other planets, including Jupiter’s moon, Europa, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, or the dwarf planet Ceres, the Daily Mail reported.3) Monica RezaMissing: June 22, 2025Age: 60Status: UnknownMonica Reza went missing while hiking in the Mount Waterman of the Angeles National Forest in California. A missing person’s flyer from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said there was concern for Reza’s well-being, and asked tipsters to call 818-248-3464.Reza also worked for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as an aerospace engineer, reportedly overseeing the lab’s Materials Processing Group, which “focuses on developing new materials and advanced manufacturing technologies for spacecraft, specializing in bulk metallic glass alloys and metal additive manufacturing,” according to NASA.4) Melissa CasiasMissing: June 26, 2025Age: 53Status: UnknownCasias worked as an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico, which reportedly developed nuclear weapons for the Manhattan Project.On the day she disappeared, she dropped off lunch for her daughter and was never seen again.5) Anthony ChavezMissing: May 8, 2025Ag  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!Hikers in Big Sur discovered a woman’s naked body deep in the woods on a popular hiking trail, according to local reports.Authorities responded to an April 9 call after hikers found the body in the Los Padres National Forest. In a statement released on Monday, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) identified the woman as 37-year-old Joanna Ruth Shields.According to witnesses, Shields had multiple injuries including a head wound and neck cuts.”I didn’t see any blood. She was pale. She had markings around her neck. I don’t want to say choking marks,” one witness told KSBW. “And then when the firefighter lifted the jacket, he confirmed that she had a big gash on her head.”CALIFORNIA WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY BEHEADING BOYFRIEND, FLEEING TO MEXICOThe hikers that found her also claimed they encountered a man who claimed to be the Shields’ friend and that he “appeared to be scared, nervous and shocked.”He allegedly told the witnesses that he found Shields naked and face down in water after being apart from her for a few minutes.MCSO is actively investigating the death as suspicious “because we don’t know what the cause of death is,” Sheriff’s Office Cmdr. Andres Rosas told Monterey County NowCALIFORNIA WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN NATIONAL FOREST, HUSBAND SEEN DRAGGING SOMETHING IN LARGE TARPMCSO Coroner Tina Nieto performed an autopsy on Shields on Monday, but her official cause and manner of death are pending the results of toxicology tests.Shields was an avid skateboarder and beloved in the skating community.”Joanna was extremely friendly with everyone, and I don’t think she had a single enemy,” Brandon Devroede, a former co-worker of Joanna’s and operation manager at Evolve Skateboards USA, told FOX 5 KSWB-TV. “She was willing to help everybody.”CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APPFox News Digital contacted the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office for additional details but did not immediately receive a response.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!Fox News’ “Antisemitism Exposed” newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world.IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER:- ‘Not on our watch’: Global law enforcement leaders unite in Poland against hate- Anti-Israel agitator Mahmoud Khalil one step closer to deportation- Comedian says antisemites ‘aren’t even ashamed anymore’ after heckler targets herTOP STORY: Top law enforcement officials from around the world gathered at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland to launch the “Not On Our Watch” initiative. The summit aims to unify global policing strategies against surging antisemitism and hate crimes. By confronting the site of the Holocaust, leaders pledged to ensure historical atrocities are never repeated through proactive modern-day enforcement and intelligence sharing.VIDEO:Rabid anti-Semite Hasan Piker calls Bill Maher an ‘Islamophobe’ while appearing alongside Michigan Senate candidate Abdul Al-Sayed. WATCH HERE:BUH-BYE: Student organizer Mahmoud Khalil faces imminent deportation after the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed his challenge to a denied asylum claim. Khalil, a central figure in Columbia University’s anti-Israel encampments, was previously flagged for potential extremist ties. This ruling marks a significant victory for lawmakers demanding accountability for foreign nationals participating in disruptive, unauthorized campus protests and visa violations.HATEFUL HECKLER: Comedian Jessica Kirson is sounding the alarm on brazen antisemitism after a heckler disrupted her performance with vitriolic slurs. Kirson noted a disturbing shift in public sentiment, observing that bigots no longer feel the need to hide their prejudice. The incident highlights a growing trend of aggressive, face-to-face confrontations targeting Jewish public figures and performers.GUEST EDITORIAL: Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an Israeli civil rights attorney who represents terror victims suing Iran, explains how Iran’s Islamic Republic has systematically weaponized antisemitism to maintain power. By dismantling once-thriving Jewish communities through executions, sham trials, and forced flight, the regime embedded hatred into its ideological core, she writes.QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It’s come to this: Antisemites aren’t even ashamed anymore, even on the Upper West Side.” – Comedienne Judy Gold after a bigoted heckler was booted from her stand-up performance.- Looking for more on this topic? Find more antisemitism coverage from Fox News here.- Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe to additional newsletters from Fox News here.- Want live updates? Get the Fox News app here  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!A firefighter in Ohio is accused of killing a woman he called a second mother, who was also a varsity cheerleading coach.The Darke County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that firefighters were responding to a house fire in Ansonia, Ohio, on April 10 when they discovered the body of 50-year-old Ericka Kramer. Authorities allege that Peyton Beam, a firefighter, started the fire in Kramer’s home, then killed her.”(He) was called out as a firefighter to respond to this scene. Under the guise of being a firefighter, he was one of the first people to get to the property with the house on fire,” the prosecutor’s office said during a bond hearing, according to WHIO.Beam is a firefighter with the Ansonia Volunteer Fire Department. He was charged with aggravated murder and aggravated arson.SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTEROfficials said that Kramer was in the home minutes before the fire. Prosecutors said during the hearing that Kramer was shot four times.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X”The victim in this matter was executed by the defendant. She was shot twice in the back and twice in the head,” the prosecutor’s office said.SEND US A TIP HEREProsecutors said it’s their belief that Beam lit Kramer’s gasoline-drenched body on fire and left the house.John Rion, Beam’s attorney, said the suspect did farm work with Kramer and called her a second mother, adding that he would never hurt her.LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST”We’d be very interested in ballistics in this case, very interested in any evidence other than inference,” Rion said.Beam’s bond was set at $5 million.LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUBKramer was a varsity cheerleading coach at Ansonia Local School in addition to being a mother of one child.”The Ansonia Athletic Department is saddened to hear of the passing of our Varsity Cheerleading Head Coach, Ericka Kramer. Coach Ericka will be deeply missed. Please keep the Kramer Family in your thoughts and prayers. FOREVER A TIGER,” the school wrote in a Facebook post.CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APPAccording to an obituary for Kramer, she had an “extraordinary and unbreakable” bond with her daughter, which shaped her life.”A love so deep that it defined her entire world. Everything she did was rooted in that connection, and the joy she found in being a mother shone through in every part of her life,” the obituary states. “Ericka will be remembered for her boundless kindness and selflessness. She was the kind of person who would give the shirt off her back without hesitation, always putting others before herself. Her warmth, generosity, and genuine spirit made the world a better place, and words truly fall short in capturing just how remarkable she was.”  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!Defense attorneys for the woman accused in the 2011 murder of an Iowa real estate agent are reportedly arguing that evidence in the cold case has been lost or destroyed. Kristin Ramsey, 53, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ashley Okland on April 8, 2011. She was taken into custody last month, marking the latest development in the 15-year-long cold case.A new court filing reportedly reveals Ramsey’s defense team is alleging that key evidence in the long-cold murder case was mishandled by authorities during the initial investigation. REALTOR’S COLD CASE MURDER FINALLY SOLVED AFTER 15 YEARS, POLICE SAY”The state has informed the defense that law enforcement either lost or destroyed evidence, case information, or both since Ms. Okland’s death,” the filing states, according to KCCI.In a motion for discovery obtained by the outlet, Ramsey’s attorneys ask authorities to hand over all evidence relating to the case, including the names and contact information of those involved in any point of the investigation. The filing also reportedly requests “any and all items of evidence and/or information that were lost, destroyed, altered, deleted, or otherwise disposed of.” NORTH CAROLINA WOMAN ARRESTED NEARLY 50 YEARS AFTER BABY FOUND DEAD IN TRASH BAG AT LANDFILLDetails regarding the type of evidence that has allegedly been lost were not immediately available. Okland was gunned down while hosting an open house at a model townhome owned by Rottlund Homes – the same company in which Ramsey worked at the time of the alleged murder.FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON XThe real estate agent was shot twice, once in the chest and another in the face, at close range, according to authorities. The case ultimately ran cold for 15 years, until authorities announced Ramsey’s arrest last month.SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTERIn a previous court filing obtained by KCCI, a witness who lived next door to the townhome told authorities she heard two loud noises and later saw Ramsey outside the front door on the day of the alleged shooting.The witness also reportedly told authorities upon looking out her second-story window, she saw Ramsey pacing outside her vehicle and using her phone.SEND US A TIP HEREThe court filing indicates Ramsey called a colleague at Rottlund Homes immediately following the alleged shooting, but did not call 911, KCCI reported.As the witness observed Ramsey outside the townhouse, she reportedly told authorities she watched as Ramsey got into her vehicle and proceeded to “back up at a high rate of speed in an erratic manner and leave the area.”LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCASTIt was the witness – not Ramsey – who ultimately called 911 to report the shooting, authorities said. Prosecutors also revealed Ramsey allegedly provided inconsistent accounts of her whereabouts on the day of Okland’s death across multiple interviews conducted during t