Newly obtained police records reveal that Anthony Chavez, a retired nuclear scientist who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, was allegedly involved in a bizarre quantum physics project before his disappearance in May 2025. The 78-year-old had been working with an unidentified scientist on research involving "matter existing in two places simultaneously," according to Los Angeles Magazine.
Disappearance and Investigation
Chavez was reported missing after an old friend became concerned when unable to contact him for several days. Officers went to his home on May 8, 2025, where they found his recently purchased silver Acura parked in the driveway. Inside the locked house, investigators discovered his wallet, cigarettes, bicycle, car keys, and a handwritten journal. Police noted no obvious signs of foul play.
According to the police report, Chavez did not own a mobile phone and relied on a home landline while keeping detailed handwritten journals. Detectives recovered one of those journals but did not reveal its contents.
Quantum Physics Research
The research project was allegedly linked to quantum physics, and the pair were believed to have been carrying out research at the local public library. Police did not identify the scientist or provide evidence showing how far the work had progressed. Chavez had worked as a retired HVAC technician at Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of America's most secretive nuclear laboratories.
Leads and Closure
The magazine reports that police followed numerous leads, including searches of nearby canyon areas, checks of hospitals, interviews with Chavez's doctor, and reports that he may have boarded a flight from Santa Fe to Dallas. None resulted in Chavez being found.
The police report also states that Chavez's longtime friend believed the disappearance should be investigated as a homicide, claiming a "pushy man" had been pressuring Chavez to sell his sister's home below market value while he was trying to pay for her assisted living care.
Despite searches involving cadaver dogs, multiple interviews, and comparisons with unidentified human remains in other states, detectives found no evidence explaining Chavez's disappearance. On October 6, 2025, Los Alamos Police closed the investigation as inactive, citing "no new information, witnesses, or evidence" relating to Chavez's disappearance.
