Michael David Hicks

Last revised: 2026-05-08 — see history. 2026-05-08 revision expanded acronyms on first use (DART).

Status: Deceased -- cause of death not publicly disclosed; no autopsy record found Date of incident: July 30, 2023 Location: Sunland (Los Angeles County), California Affiliation: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Research Scientist (1998--2022) Inclusion rationale: JPL scientist who worked on planetary defense (Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)) and near-Earth object tracking missions; died at 59 with no publicly disclosed cause of death; case included in White House/FBI/Congressional review of 11 scientist deaths and disappearances (April 2026)

Key Dates

Narrative of Known Facts

Michael David Hicks was born February 7, 1964, in Dayton, Ohio. He earned undergraduate degrees from Boston University and a PhD in Planetary Sciences from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in 1997. His doctoral dissertation focused on spectrophotometric surveys of comets and Earth-approaching asteroids.

In 1998 he joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher and subsequently became a research scientist, a position he held until 2022. His research specialty was the physical properties of comets and asteroids. He served on the science teams for multiple NASA missions:

• DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test): The first-ever mission dedicated to demonstrating asteroid deflection
• NEAT (Near Earth Asteroid Tracking): An asteroid and comet detection program
• Dawn Mission: Spacecraft that orbited Vesta and Ceres
• Deep Space 1: Technology demonstration mission that also performed a comet flyby

He authored over 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and received numerous NASA team awards, including recognition for work on the Redirect Mission Concept Development Project, NEAT Team, Dawn Science Team, and Deep Space 1 Comet Team.

His colleague Dr. Joe Masiero, who worked with Hicks for approximately 10 years at JPL, described him as someone who invested heavily in mentoring students.

Outside his scientific career, Hicks was an artist who worked in woodblock prints, oil painting, and metalwork. He played the ukulele and performed during observing runs at Mount Palomar.

He died on July 30, 2023, at age 59 in Sunland, California. His obituary identified him as "an astronomer, artist and father" but did not disclose a cause of death. The AAS Division for Planetary Sciences and the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory both published memorial tributes, neither of which stated a cause of death.

He was survived by his father Richard, daughter Julia, ex-wife Brunella Bigi, and six siblings (Richard, Stephen, Suzette, Jeanette, Paul, and Barbara). He was preceded in death by his mother Joan and infant brother Brian.

His obituary directed charitable donations to al-anon.org.

In April 2026, his death was publicly linked by journalists to a broader pattern of deaths and disappearances of scientists with connections to U.S. defense and aerospace programs. His case was included in House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Rep. Eric Burlison's letters to NASA, DOE, DOD, and the FBI requesting information. The White House confirmed a federal review of these cases.

What Is Documented vs. Reported vs. Alleged vs. Speculated

Documented (Tier 1)

• Forest Lawn obituary (T1 -- primary source): Confirms full name Michael David Hicks; birth February 7, 1964, Dayton, Ohio; death July 30, 2023; residence Sunland, CA; surviving family members; memorial service September 30, 2023. No cause of death listed. Donations directed to al-anon.org.
• University of Arizona LPL memorial (T1 -- institutional): Confirms PhD from LPL in 1997; JPL career 1998--2022; research on comets and asteroids; 80+ peer-reviewed papers; work on DART, NEAT, Dawn, and Deep Space 1.
• AAS Division for Planetary Sciences obituary (T1 -- professional society): Published formal obituary notice consistent with above details.
• House Oversight Committee press release (T1 -- government): Confirms Congressional inquiry into deaths/disappearances of scientists with ties to U.S. nuclear and rocket technology, including JPL scientists. Letters sent to NASA, DOE, DOD, FBI.

Reported (Tier 3–4)

• Newsweek (T4): Reported that Hicks' cause of death was not publicly disclosed and that no record of an autopsy was found. Reported colleague Dr. Joe Masiero's characterization of Hicks as a dedicated mentor.
• Fox 11 Los Angeles / FOX News (T3/T4): Reported Hicks as one of four LA County-connected cases in the broader pattern; reported White House confirmation of federal review.
• CBS News (T4): Reviewed obituaries and law enforcement findings; found no links between any of the deaths. Quoted skeptics noting cases are scattered across years and loosely affiliated organizations.
• The Hill (T4): Reported Hicks' death as part of pattern but noted no established link between cases.

Alleged

• Rep. Eric Burlison (named official): Stated on social media that the pattern "has all the hallmarks of a foreign operation." No evidence cited.
• Multiple media outlets allege a suspicious pattern connecting Hicks' death to 10 other cases involving scientists with government ties. No evidence of connection has been established.

Speculated

• Social media and tabloid sources speculate connections to classified programs, UFO/UAP research, and foreign intelligence operations. No evidence supports these claims.
• Global Times (Chinese state media) amplified conspiracy narratives while maintaining deniability through phrases like "no official findings."

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Named Expert Commentary

• Dr. Joe Masiero (JPL colleague, ~10 years): Characterized Hicks as someone who invested heavily in mentoring students.
• Joseph Rodgers (Deputy Director, Project on Nuclear Issues, CSIS): Stated the deaths and missing persons cases "are scattered across several years at different and only loosely affiliated organizations."
• Scott Roecker (VP, Nuclear Threat Initiative): Argued that hostile foreign actors would gain nothing strategically from targeting American nuclear scientists.
• Former DOE official (unnamed): Noted that many facility employees work in mundane roles without classified access, and that natural causes explain many deaths.
• Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO): Publicly stated the pattern "has all the hallmarks of a foreign operation."

Foreign Coverage

• Global Times (Chinese state media): Framed the cases in sensationalized terms, describing them as "unfolding like scenes from a high-stakes thriller." Amplified UFO/UAP conspiracy theories while maintaining plausible deniability. Did not provide independent reporting or evidence.

Contradictions

1. Employment timeline ambiguity: Obituary and memorials state Hicks worked at JPL from 1998 to 2022, but he died in 2023. It is unclear whether he retired, was laid off, or left for other reasons in 2022 -- one year before his death. No source explains the gap.
2. "No autopsy record found" vs. absence of evidence: Newsweek reported no autopsy record was found, but this could reflect incomplete FOIA/records searches rather than a confirmed absence of autopsy.
3. Pattern claims vs. skeptics: Congressional members and some media allege a suspicious pattern; CBS News, CSIS analysts, and former DOE officials found no evidence of connection.

Related Cases

• Monica Reza and Frank Maiwald — All three worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Hicks (1998–2022) in planetary science, Reza in materials processing, Maiwald (~1999–2024) in space instrumentation. No shared projects or documented professional connections. Together they form the JPL institutional cluster.
• Carl Grillmair — Both worked in the LA County area on space science (Hicks at JPL, Grillmair at Caltech/IPAC). Grillmair's case has a named suspect; Hicks' cause of death remains undisclosed. Both are part of the LA County geographic cluster.

Analysis Cross-References

• Connection analysis — Institutional co-employment (JPL cluster) — Hicks is part of the three-person JPL cluster
• Connection analysis — Temporal clustering — Hicks (July 2023) is a pre-cluster death, retroactively added
• Hypotheses — H3 (Institutional clustering, JPL) — Hicks' undisclosed cause of death creates irreducible uncertainty for this hypothesis
• Hypotheses — H8 (Independent events misgrouped) — Al-Anon donation request and JPL departure in 2022 may indicate personal context

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Open Questions

1. What was the cause of death? No source -- including the obituary, professional memorials, or media reporting -- has disclosed the cause of death.
2. Was an autopsy conducted? Media reports state no record was found, but this has not been confirmed by the LA County Medical Examiner.
3. Why did he leave JPL in 2022? His employment ended a year before his death. Was this retirement, a layoff (JPL had budget-related layoffs), health-related, or voluntary?
4. What was his security clearance status? Media reports group him with scientists who had "high-level security clearances," but no source confirms his specific clearance level. JPL scientists working on planetary science missions may not require the same clearances as those on defense projects.
5. The al-anon.org donation request: The obituary directs donations to Al-Anon, a support organization for families of people with alcohol use disorders. This may provide context for personal circumstances but is not dispositive.
6. Did any federal agency (FBI, NASA, DOE) respond to the Comer/Burlison inquiry regarding Hicks specifically? No public response has been reported as of April 2026.