MISSING: Melissa Casias
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What happened to Melissa Casias on June 26, 2025?
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Hi, Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers. And I'm Britt. Listen, last year, I received an email from a crime junkie. A woman named Jasmine wanted help because her aunt had recently vanished from Taos County, New Mexico, and no one could agree on what happened to her. But everyone did agree to speak with us because at the heart of it, they all say they want to know what happened to her. Her husband and her daughter think she left on her own. Her other family believes that she was a victim of foul play. And I'll be honest with you, I don't know what to believe. Each side believes their theory so fervently that I'm afraid my recounting of the facts as I know them are going to upset everyone. Because even the facts don't make sense.
But that usually means that we're missing something, a piece of the puzzle that maybe one of you out there hearing this right now might have. And there is a small chance that missing piece has bigger implications than I could have ever imagined when I first read Jasmine's email last year. This is the story of Melissa Casillas.
On the afternoon of Thursday, June 26, 2025, 18-year-old Sierra Casillas is working at a coffee shop in Taos, New Mexico, when she steps away to check a voicemail from her dad, Mark. Now, his tone is tight, like something is off. He wanted her to know that he had just gotten a call from her mom's supervisor, who told him that Melissa hadn't shown up for work that day. Now, to Mark, that seems impossible because he and Melissa both work at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is a superintendent. She's an administrative assistant. They share a car and commute together every single day, including that day. So how could she not be there? But Sierra already knows something he doesn't, which is that Melissa drove the hour and 15 minutes back from the lab after dropping Mark off.
So she was there at the house at like 7.30, 7.45-ish when Sierra woke up that morning, which was way out of the norm, by the way. But she told Sierra that she had forgotten her security badge. And since she was back home anyway, she would probably just work remotely or maybe even take the day off. Now, Sierra kind of assumes that she had done the latter because she saw her mom for a second time later in the day, just before 1 o'clock, when she'd stopped by the coffee shop Sierra works at to bring her lunch. Plus, she'd texted her about a half an hour after that. So all to say, like, even though her dad seems worried, Sierra wasn't. Now, since she's at least had some kind of communication with Melissa in the last hour, Mark asked her to text her mom.
And she's surprised when that little message bubble turns green. iPhone users know what that means. That message didn't deliver like normal. Phones like off or there is no like regular service, something. So she opens up the location app where she can normally see her mom's face pop up. But this time, nothing loads. Melissa's location has just stopped transmitting. That's when the worry starts to creep in for her because her mom never lets her phone die. This is all concerning enough that Sierra decides to leave work early to make sure that her mom's okay.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened to Melissa Casias on June 26, 2025?
0:00–10:18
2
What were the circumstances surrounding Melissa's disappearance?
10:18–20:15
3
How did family members react to Melissa's sudden absence?
20:15–30:58
4
What theories emerged about Melissa's potential whereabouts?
30:58–38:19
5
What evidence was found in the Casillas home following Melissa's disappearance?
38:19–46:23
6
What role did Mark Casillas play in the investigation?
46:23–57:45
7
What new leads were discovered in the search for Melissa?
57:45–1:13:44
8
How has the investigation into Melissa's case evolved over time?
1:13:44–1:33:48