(NewsNation) — The list of dead and missing scientists with links to the nation’s nuclear programs continues to grow.
A NASA electrical engineer, 29-year-old Joshua LeBlanc, was found dead and burned beyond recognition after crashing his Tesla in Huntsville, Alabama, in July.
His family reported him missing after he didn’t show up for work at his nuclear propulsion lab. LeBlanc’s phone, wallet and dog were also mysteriously found left behind in his home.
So far, there is no real evidence that LeBlanc’s or any of the other 12 cases of missing scientists are actually connected, but the internet has run wild with conspiracy theories connecting the scientists to UFO research.
On Wednesday, President Trump announced files about UFOs would be released soon, but that has done little to stop the spread of the theories.
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Former senior intelligence officer and UFO whistleblower Luis Elizondo and Chris Swecker, former FBI assistant director of criminal investigations and special aAgent, joined “On Balance” on Wednesday to discuss their perspectives on the topic.
Elizondo believes rushing to a binary conclusion is unwise at this juncture.
“We have to give the FBI enough time for them to do their due diligence. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions here. I think it’s very important that we allow the investigation to continue and let those results be provided to the president, the National Security Council, and to Congress and the American people,” Elizondo said.
Elizondo is not concerned “Men in Black” will attempt to hunt him down despite his whistleblowing.
“I think that’s a bit cliché. But the reality is that, yes, some individuals I personally know who are considered whistleblowers have been intimidated. They’ve tried to intimidate me. We’ve had threats against us. We’ve had drones and surveillance,” he said.
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Swecker, however, believes there is some connection between the missing scientists, but the list of 12 is misleading.
“The list is something that’s sort of a creation of social media and mainstream media and I think it’s captured people’s imagination. So we have 12 names out there right now, but you can take four or five of them and eliminate them almost immediately,” Swecker said.
“… Most of the deaths can be explained. The missing scientists cannot be explained. If there’s anything going on at all here, it is what I would call a garden-variety espionage,” he added.
“It’s the stuff that happens daily with nuclear scientists, rocket propulsion scientists. Anyone who’s working on sensitive technology is the target of espionage from Russia, China, and other hostile foreign intelligence services.”