DEDHAM, Mass. — It’s a wave of mysterious deaths and disappearances that people have been talking about on social media for months.
Since 2023, ten scientists have died or disappeared – eight of those scientists are people with high-level government security clearance or scientists who have worked on sensitive government secrets
Among them is MIT physics professor Nuno Loureiro murdered in Brookline in December.
The talk of the deaths has been growing loud and this week, the White House was asked about it.
“Is anybody investigating this to see if these things are connected?” Fox News White House Reporter Peter Doocy asked.
“I’ve seen the report, Peter. I haven’t spoken to our relevant agencies about it. I will certainly do that and get you an answer. If true, that’s something I’m sure this government and administration would deem worth looking into,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
But are these cases connected? The circumstances of each of the ten cases are different.
In the case of Professor Loureiro’s murder, it’s believed Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a former fellow student, acted on a grudge, killing the professor and targeting Brown University, before taking his own life in Salem NH.
In December, in a one-on-one interview, I asked Boston US Attorney Leah Foley if there was anything more to this.
“Is there any evidence that a foreign government is behind what happened to the MIT professor?” I asked.
“No,” Foley answered. “He was an evil person. He’s just a cold-blooded killer.”
Harvard Professor Avi Loeb, himself an astrophysicist, does not think the ten cases are related.
“People have a tendency to connect the dots even when the dots have nothing to do with each other, which I think is the case here,” Loeb said.
However, Loeb welcomes further scrutiny.
“Definitely, the FBI should look into them to make sure there is nothing behind them, because there is a lot of incitement in social media and people act based on very limited information,” Loeb said.
There is a second Massachusetts scientist on the list. Jason Thomas worked for a pharmaceutical company. He disappeared from his home in Wakefield in December, and his body was recovered from a lake in March.
The state Medical Examiner has not yet determined cause or manner of death; however, the Middlesex County DA’s office told me there were no signs of foul play.
This suggests his case should not be considered with the others.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW