The remains of a missing woman who worked at a sensitive U.S. nuclear development lab were found decaying in a forest in New Mexico on Monday in a “skeletonized” state, according to The Daily Mail. Melissa Casias, a 54-year-old administrative assistant at Los Alamos, was found dead in Carson National Forest, with her body propped up against a tree near an abandoned gun, per the Mail. She was found with a visible gunshot to her skull in the remote part of the Carson National Forest, local officials said. Casias’ body reportedly didn’t show any signs of animal activity even though her body was left to decompose in the forest. The 54-year-old mother was last seen on June 26, 2025. Thomas McNally, the former homicide detective who is helping Casias’ family with the case, told the outlet he suspects foul play, even hinting that Casias’ family will file a civil lawsuit against the New Mexico State Police for essentially botching the case. The discovery of Casias’ body comes after a slew of mysterious disappearances related to scientists and employees who worked at sensitive nuclear or space technology labs. Just weeks before Casias vanished, a former Los Alamos employee, 79-year-old Anthony Chavez, disappeared in a similar manner. Chavez went missing after he left his home on foot on May 4, 2025. Police have said that no foul play is suspected in Chavez’s case. Casias worked as an administrative assistant at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the site made famous during World War II for the Manhattan Project. The lab remains closely tied to U.S. nuclear weapon development. The day Casias went missing she wiped her phones before leaving them behind, along with her ID when she walked out of her house that is settled in a remote community around 70 miles northeast of Santa Fe, The New York Post reported. Just before she was last seen, Casias dropped off her husband, who worked at the same lab as her, at work before claiming she forgot her work badge and had to return home. McNally told the Mail that Casias and her husband were arguing over a vape pen on their way to work. The investigator claims Casias’ daughter, Sierra, saw her mom when she came back home and Casias looked “totally normal.” The last known sighting of the wife and mother was June 26 at 2:20 p.m. local time. While McNally was looking into her disappearance, Casias’ husband claimed she was “running around with a boyfriend somewhere” and authorities believed the narrative, according to McNally.