Monica Reza Is a Missing Scientist: The Strange Circumstances of Her Disappearance
Monica Reza is a brilliant scientist with ties to NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab Project who disappeared without a trace while hiking in California.
She is also known as Monica Jacinto. “Fellow-Materials Science and Engineering at Aerojet Rocketdyne,” her LinkedIn page describes her. Reza's name is on the list of 10 missing and dead scientists in the U.S. The disappearances and deaths are part of a new federal investigation to see if they are connected, the White House announced.
One of the names on that list is that of Monica Reza, who is raising additional concern because she has a connection to another scientist on the list, a retired general named William McCasland. But who was Monica Reza and what's known about her disappearance? The circumstances are strange.
Monica Reza Was Last Seen Hiking Along Angeles Crest Highway
Sheriff's release
Authorities posted an alert about Reza's disappearance in June 2025.
The Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Office's alert reads, “Missing Hiker – Help Us Locate Monica Reza.” The flyer says that Reza was a resident of Los Angeles County who was last seen hiking on June 22, 2025, at 9:10 a.m. along Angeles Crest Highway.
“There is concern for Ms. Reza’s well-being,” the flyer said, indicating that the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau was involved.
“Crescenta Valley Station is actively searching for Monica Reza, who was last seen while hiking in the Mount Waterman area,” the notice said. “She was last seen wearing the clothing shown in the flyer. If you have any information about Monica’s whereabouts or may have seen her in the area, please contact our station immediately at (818) 248-3464. Please share this post to help bring Monica home safely.”
Monica Reza's Scent Was Tracked to a Hat After She Began 'Oddly' Running, Reports Say
According to LA Mag, Reza "was last seen around 9 a.m. near the Mount Waterman area in California’s Angeles National Forest" and was classified as an “at-risk missing person.
The trail ended "with her scent reportedly stopping at a hat believed to have belonged to her," LA Mag added.
That magazine reported, through a source, that Reza was hiking "male and female companion from her yoga group," which blends "physical yoga practice with spiritual and philosophical elements, including astrology and traditional Vedic teachings from ancient India." According to LA Mag, "Reza and her male companion oddly began running on the terrain, which is uncommon given how steep and uneven it is."
The man "confirmed Reza was behind him, reportedly running, when he eventually called out to her and received no response," LA Mag added.
Monica Reza Worked for a Company Called Aerojet Rocketdyne
Frank Maiwald — died Jul 2024, no autopsy
— David 'JoelKatz' Schwartz BP (@Schwartz_Cose) April 8, 2026
Carl Grillmair — shot Feb 2026 Michael Hicks — died Jul 2023, cause hidden
Monica Reza — vanished Jun 2025
Melissa Casias — vanished Jun 2025
Anthony Chavez — vanished May 2025
William McCasland — vanished Feb 2026
These deaths… pic.twitter.com/RQuYrOmP9O
Reza worked for Aerojet Rocketdyne for more than 37 years in the area of “fellow-materials science and engineering," her LinkedIn page says. Before that, she worked for 25 years for Pratt & Whitney in “fellow-structural alloys.”
She has a master’s degree in materials engineering from UCLA that dates to 1997, and a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from Columbia University. She followed one other page of interest, Jack Welch, executive chairman of the Jack Welch Management Institute.
According to the New York Post, that company "was funded for years by NASA and the Air Force Research Laboratory."
She patented a nickel-based “super-alloy" called Mondaloy, which "brought her into the orbit of McCasland — who oversaw the Air Force group that funded research in the early 2000s into advanced materials needed for reusable space vehicles and weapons," reported The Post.
“Because Mondaloy is a family of alloys, I worked with the Air Force to scale up production, look at different processing methods and get the material ready for insertion into a rocket engine,” she told Space News in 2017.
According to LA Mag, Reza "co-patented burn-resistant and high-strength metal alloys, confirming her background in advanced aerospace research."
"She has also been linked to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where she was reportedly stationed at the same time as retired Air Force General Neil McCasland," added LA Mag, describing that as "a facility long associated with advanced aerospace programs and reportedly sensitive material connected to the Roswell Crash."
A Facebook Page Documents Months of Searches Trying to Find Monica Reza
There is a Facebook page devoted to finding Reza documents months of search efforts, which were not successful.
"Dedicated volunteers continue to keep this community-led search going with steady resolve — hiking and searching the vast terrain around Mt. Waterman, as well as volunteer outreach and coordination," an admin on that page wrote in November.