A newly released autopsy reveals that Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old Los Alamos National Laboratory worker who vanished from her Taos, New Mexico, home in June 2025, was shot through the base of the skull, yet state investigators still classify her death as "undetermined." The report from New Mexico's Office of the Medical Investigator found that […] The post Autopsy shows Los Alamos lab worker was shot in the head, but cause of death remains 'undetermined' appeared first on American Almanac .
A newly released autopsy reveals that Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old Los Alamos National Laboratory worker who vanished from her Taos, New Mexico, home in June 2025, was shot through the base of the skull, yet state investigators still classify her death as "undetermined." The report from New Mexico's Office of the Medical Investigator found that a bullet entered the right side of Casias's cranial base near the foramen magnum, the opening where the spinal cord meets the brain, damaged the topmost vertebra in her neck, and exited through her left temple. The wound occurred "perimortem," meaning at or around the time of death. But advanced decomposition of her remains, which sat in the wilderness for roughly eleven months, prevented…Open
AI:An autopsy of Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old Los Alamos National Laboratory worker who vanished in June 2025, reveals she was shot through the base of her skull, yet state investigators have classified the death as "undetermined." Her skeletal remains were discovered eleven months after her disappearance propped against a tree in the Carson National Forest near a handgun. While law enforcement cites decomposition as a reason for being unable to determine if the wound was self-inflicted, an anonymous source insists the bullet trajectory makes suicide impossible and points toward murder. The investigation is mired in controversy due to allegations of severe chain-of-custody failures by New Mexico State Police, including leaving bones and…Open
NOAA forecasts a "very strong" El Niño developing in the equatorial Pacific, possibly among the strongest in the modern record, yet the scientists tracking it concede the climate pattern's interaction with the polar vortex remains an open question with no reliable answer. The federal agency's characterization lands at a moment when Americans from the mid-Atlantic […] The post A potentially historic El Niño could collide with the polar vortex this winter — and scientists admit they don't fully understand what happens next appeared first on American Almanac .
NOAA forecasts a "very strong" El Niño developing in the equatorial Pacific, possibly among the strongest in the modern record, yet the scientists tracking it concede the climate pattern's interaction with the polar vortex remains an open question with no reliable answer. The federal agency's characterization lands at a moment when Americans from the mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest are trying to plan for a winter season that could swing between unusual mildness and punishing cold, depending on atmospheric forces that even top researchers describe in terms of probability, not certainty. Four scientists from NOAA, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Miami each offered USA TODAY variations on the same theme: we know a strong El…Open
AI:NOAA is forecasting a potentially historic and "very strong" El Niño developing in the equatorial Pacific, yet top scientists from NOAA, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Miami admit they cannot predict exactly how this phenomenon will interact with the polar vortex. While a strong El Niño typically shifts jet stream patterns, there is significant scientific uncertainty regarding whether it will trigger sudden stratospheric warming events that push Arctic air deep into the eastern United States or result in an overall milder winter. This lack of predictability poses real-world challenges for American families facing rising heating costs, farmers hedging crops, and municipalities planning winter infrastructure, especially as this…Open
"I think Americans are much wiser today to Donald Trump's actions, his motivations, his hijinx, than they have been in the past." Katy Tur joined "Connect with Jacob Soboroff" to discuss the state of American democracy—and whether it can withstand the pressure from Donald Trump.
AI:Katy Tur claimed that the American public has developed a heightened awareness regarding President Trump's motivations and tactics, suggesting that citizens are now more perceptive of his actions than in previous years when discussing whether the nation's democratic institutions can withstand his presidency.Open
“My goal when I go into a hearing is not to give a speech. It’s to get answers.” Sen. Jon Ossoff’s heated hearing exchanges have been going viral, and Kevin Frey asked him about his strategy for cutting through evasions and holding officials to account.
AI:Senator Jon Ossoff is making headlines for his aggressive questioning style during Senate hearings, where he claims his primary objective is to extract direct answers rather than delivering political speeches. This focus on high-pressure inquiry has led to viral heated exchanges as he attempts to hold government officials accountable and cut through bureaucratic evasions.Open
AI:Following a pattern of massive systemic corruption seen in states like Minnesota, a major home-care scam has hit Pennsylvania resulting in nineteen individuals being charged. This latest scheme mirrors the ongoing trend of widespread fraud within state-managed care programs that continues to drain taxpayer resources while leaving vulnerable populations at risk.Open
On Friday, Italian police said they'd recovered three paintings stolen from a museum near the city of Parma. By Saturday night, thieves in Sicily had made off with four more masterpieces.
AI:Italian authorities have experienced a volatile week regarding high-value art security, successfully recovering three stolen paintings from a museum near Parma while simultaneously facing new thefts in Sicily where thieves made off with four additional masterpieces.Open
A shooting at a U.S. Consulate has thrust a neighborhood with a troubled past into the center of an emerging criminal phenomenon: young guns for hire as gig workers in the underworld economy.
AI:A violent shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto has uncovered a disturbing trend within local criminal networks where young individuals are operating as "guns for hire" through an underworld gig economy. This targeted attack on American diplomatic property highlights the rising prevalence of professionalized contract violence emerging from troubled urban neighborhoods, signaling a shift toward organized hitmen functioning as low-level service providers in the illicit market.Open
The newly released email shows that on May 27, 2021, Dr. Janet Woodcock, then-acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, wrote to Drs. Anthony Fauci and Francis Collins.
AI:Newly released emails reveal that former FDA Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock expressed urgent concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccine adverse effects in correspondence sent to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins on May 27, 2021. This disclosure, highlighted by Senators Johnson and Paul, adds further weight to the growing evidence of internal government awareness regarding the risks associated with the vaccination rollout.Open
With President Trump under pressure from his war of choice becoming a drag on the economy and his party in the midterm elections amid the growing affordability crisis President Trump and Republicans message to struggling Americans seems to be: just deal with it.
AI:As President Trump’s administration continues its military involvement with Iran, the ongoing conflict is beginning to exert significant downward pressure on the national economy, creating a difficult landscape for the GOP ahead of midterm elections. While Americans face an intensifying affordability crisis and rising costs, the Republican strategy has been criticized as dismissive, with many perceiving the administration's messaging as telling struggling citizens to simply endure the economic fallout. This struggle to land a cohesive message on affordability comes at a critical time when the war is increasingly seen as a drag on domestic prosperity.Open
FRISCO, TX — Local woman Samantha Johnson's faith in humanity was instantly restored this afternoon after she drove up to find neighborhood kids doing a lemonade stand.
AI:A local Texas woman experienced an instant restoration of her faith in humanity after discovering children operating a neighborhood lemonade stand in Frisco.Open
