NM NM - Melissa Casias, 53, frm Taos, car & personal items left at home, pers & work phones wiped, seen walking on Hwy 518 in Talpa, 26 Jun 2025

[vls12345]

I don't understand the whole badge thing: she dropped her husband off "then returned to Taos to work remotely since she had forgotten her employee badge". Where did she forget it? Why not just go into work and get a temporary badge from security. What's the big deal? Kind of sounds like a ruse to me.

Ranchos woman reported missing

New Mexico State Police is investigating the disappearance of a Ranchos de Taos woman who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory as an administrative assistant. Melissa Casias, 53, works at

www.taosnews.com

Nuclear labs & sites tend to have pretty strict security set-ups. So a "temp" pass may not be feasible for a day.

 

[CrimeDawg123]

If might not be just a standard identification card. Our government "badge" for work was also a PIV card, which was what we used to log into our computer, without it we couldn't work, and though we could get a "visitor's tag" to be in the building, without the PIV part of the ID we couldn't work. I went home once for the same reason.

Nuclear labs & sites tend to have pretty strict security set-ups. So a "temp" pass may not be feasible for a day.

Thanks for the explanations!

 

[A little bit intuitive]

Two other women went missing from Taos , Melissa Crabtree in 2020, and Holly White in 2016.

Melissa Manley Crabtree – The Charley Project

Holly Alcott White – The Charley Project

Not saying the cases are related, just stating facts. Holly White’s disappearance is quite similar in some aspects.

Melissa Crabtree is a friend to all of us Southern Oregon and Taos, and Internationally she touched hearts. Give Thanks for remembering Melissa and all the Missing.

 

[10ofRods]

Why would she be walking on hwy 518 ?

Ranchos de Taos to New Mexico 518

maps.app.goo.gl

It's one of the main ways of getting around Taos. It originates near the center of town and heads south. One might say it's a main drag in South Taos. She's from Ranchos de Taos, a sort of suburb, and if walking from the downtown area would have intersected with Hwy 518. I don't know where she lives in R d T. but it could have been a shortcut (and felt safer) than other routes to southern side of R d T.

Otherwise, if she had continued onward on 518, she would have passed through an industrial area and then onward out of Taos into much less populated territory.

 

[10ofRods]

I don't understand the whole badge thing: she dropped her husband off "then returned to Taos to work remotely since she had forgotten her employee badge". Where did she forget it? Why not just go into work and get a temporary badge from security. What's the big deal? Kind of sounds like a ruse to me.

Ranchos woman reported missing

New Mexico State Police is investigating the disappearance of a Ranchos de Taos woman who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory as an administrative assistant. Melissa Casias, 53, works at

www.taosnews.com

My MiL worked at White Sands, where similar security clearance was needed. Heck, when I worked at a federal facility, if I forgot my ID, there was no quick fix. Had to be reapproved by the head of the whole facility, and that person found it very annoying to do so for all the disorganized employees (like me).

These are facilities with the need for fairly high security clearance.

IMO

 

[Meitsyeah]

This is rare having a report of person walking and stumbling after going missing and actually getting video conformation, what is not so rare are people seen walking and stumbling by PPL they know who never stop to help??

 

[GraceG]

This is rare having a report of person walking and stumbling after going missing and actually getting video conformation, what is not so rare are people seen walking and stumbling by PPL they know who never stop to help??

They don't have video confirmation of her walking and stumbling if you read the article closely (I didn't catch that the first time I read it). She was seen leaving a shop, and in the photos she's walking and looking normal. All they have on the "walking and stumbling" was a man who stated he knew her and he saw that. (but if he knew her and saw her in that state, agreed, why wouldn't he offer assistance?) Can't say if he did or did not see her, but there was no found evidence other than his statement.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

She was seen on cameras walking.

https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/family-of-missing-los-alamos-national-laboratory-employee-seeks-help-from-public/

A tip came in later that day, saying that someone saw her walking alone on foot on Highway 518 in Talpa, and was seen on neighbors’ Ring doorbell cameras. The family later confirmed it was her based on the clothes she was wearing that day. The family says that’s the last time she was seen.

 

[tarabull]

Comment by CM July 3 worth noting...MOO

Ranchos woman reported missing

New Mexico State Police is investigating the disappearance of a Ranchos de Taos woman who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory as an administrative assistant. Melissa Casias, 53, works at

www.taosnews.com

 

[tarabull]

This is rare having a report of person walking and stumbling after going missing and actually getting video conformation, what is not so rare are people seen walking and stumbling by PPL they know who never stop to help??

Is there confirmation she was stumbling on video??? Or just from the person ( her cousin?) who says they actually saw her stumbling but didnt stop tho they are certain it was her???

 

[starlightstarbright]

Comment by CM July 3 worth noting...MOO

Ranchos woman reported missing

New Mexico State Police is investigating the disappearance of a Ranchos de Taos woman who works at Los Alamos National Laboratory as an administrative assistant. Melissa Casias, 53, works at

www.taosnews.com

I can’t figure out how to find the comments on that one.

 

[GraceG]

Is there confirmation she was stumbling on video??? Or just from the person ( her cousin?) who says they actually saw her stumbling but didnt stop tho they are certain it was her???

Therein lies the confusion for me. You have a report that someone that knew her saw her stumbling but no one from the family or LE stating that I have read, that the video evidence (out shopping or the ring camera) had her stumbling. The stumbling for me is key. If she had a physiological, psychological issue or substance issue, any of those could factor into why she went missing that day, and would I think, help narrow the search. I'm wondering if I just missed an article that had more information?

 

[303gmf]

I can’t figure out how to find the comments on that one.

At the very bottom of the article I see 3 comments

 

[tarabull]

I can’t figure out how to find the comments on that one.

Under the headline there is a bubble icon with a 3 in it...click it.

 

[bombardier]

"McMillen (her niece) and Najera (her aunt) said that not all of Casias’ family agree she is missing, but declined to elaborate." from Ranchos woman reported missing

i still think this comment is key to understanding this case. IMO it implies that melissa has factors in her life that makes certain family believe she is voluntarily missing.

 

[TwinkieDefense]

July 9, 2025 article

Family divided amid search for missing LANL worker

Surveillance footage from a Talpa home facing NM 518 shows a new last known sighting of Melissa Casias, the Ranchos de Taos resident and Los Alamos National Laboratory employee who

www.taosnews.com

[…]

On June 26 at about 2:15 p.m. a witness close to one of Melissa’s relatives parked his truck on the side of NM 518 to eat lunch and make a phone call. He said he saw Melissa walk right by his truck. He finished eating, continued driving and saw her again near the Carson National Forest sign on NM 518.

The witness reported a blue Dodge truck followed her as she walked in the opposite direction of her home. When he turned back toward his house, he saw the truck, but no sign of Melissa.

[…]

 

[starlightstarbright]

Under the headline there is a bubble icon with a 3 in it...click it.

Annoyingly, I don’t have that or any comments at the bottom. Only lots and lots of ads. Maybe because I’m outside the US.

 

[paris_paris]

Annoyingly, I don’t have that or any comments at the bottom. Only lots and lots of ads. Maybe because I’m outside the US.

I’m in Canada and I can see the comments.

 

[dalsglen]

Annoyingly, I don’t have that or any comments at the bottom. Only lots and lots of ads. Maybe because I’m outside the US.

I had the same problem being in the UK so I archived the article, comments are then viewable. https://archive.is/90jgl

 

[starlightstarbright]

I had the same problem being in the UK so I archived the article, comments are then viewable. https://archive.is/90jgl

Yes, I’m also in the UK. It must be our data protection laws. I can see them in the archived version, thank you.

The one thing I’m starting to feel is that there is a certain division in the family. You can see this in that comment by CM and there has been a lot of distracting bickering on Facebook about the use of a certain fundraising site. MOO but I see this happen where people close to someone are deeply in denial about reasons that could have led them to go missing and others are very open and almost trying to force them to accept it to get the investigation moving in a different direction. All just speculation, but this feels a lot like the Hannah Kobayashi case to me, but on a smaller scale.