A police-file detail points to an alleged quantum physics project, but investigators have not said the claim is verified.
LOS ALAMOS, NM — A newly reported detail in the disappearance of Anthony “Tony” Chavez has drawn fresh attention to the former Los Alamos National Laboratory worker, more than a year after he vanished from his 37th Street home.
Chavez, 78, was reported missing May 8, 2025, after friends and family said his absence was out of character. The latest detail centers on a tip documented in a Los Alamos Police Department file, which said Chavez may have been working on a “quantum physics” project with an unidentified scientist before he disappeared. Police have not announced that the claim has been verified, and Chavez has not been found.
Chavez was last seen around May 4, 2025, leaving his home in Los Alamos on foot. A friend later told local reporters that Chavez’s locked car was still in the driveway and that his wallet, car keys and personal items were still inside the home. The friend, Carl Buckland, described Chavez as active, clearheaded and regularly in touch with people close to him. “It is very much out of character or circumstance for him to be out of touch with his family or friends for more than a day,” Buckland said at the time. Los Alamos police issued a missing-person notice on May 12, 2025, saying exhaustive efforts to locate Chavez had not succeeded.
The police-file detail reported this week says a person close to Chavez told investigators he had been working on “Quantum Physics” with an unknown scientist in Los Alamos. The tip described the subject as involving matter existing in two places at once and said Chavez and the other person may have been doing research at the local public library. The report did not identify the scientist. It also did not say whether officers confirmed the project, reviewed any notes tied to it or found evidence that the research was connected to the disappearance. Investigators noted that Chavez kept a handwritten journal, but the file description did not publicly detail what was in it.
Chavez had a long history tied to Los Alamos science and engineering work. Los Alamos National Laboratory described him in a 2025 profile as an R&D engineer in engineering, operations and physics. The lab said he grew up in Santa Fe and was one of six machinist apprentices selected from 300 applicants in 1989 for the Machinist Apprenticeship Program. He later earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of New Mexico and worked for more than 25 years at the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility, known as DARHT. The facility is part of the lab’s work connected to high-speed imaging and national security research.
Los Alamos police have said officers searched known residences, hiked local trails, distributed flyers, reviewed hours of surveillance footage and followed up on tips. Deputy Chief James Rodriguez said in May 2025 that officers were “actively following every lead, reviewing evidence, and coordinating with multiple agencies and local businesses to find Mr. Chavez.” The department also said it was working with Chavez’s family. Local reports said he did not carry a cellphone, which limited investigators’ ability to use common location data. The file detail about a possible final research project adds a new thread, but the central facts remain unchanged: Chavez left on foot, key belongings stayed behind, and no confirmed public sighting has resolved the case.
The case has also been discussed alongside other disappearances involving people with connections to national laboratories, defense contractors or aerospace research. Authorities have not announced any confirmed link between Chavez’s disappearance and those other cases. Public speculation grew after reports noted similar details in some missing-person files, including people leaving homes without phones, wallets or vehicles. In Chavez’s case, Los Alamos police initially said he was not believed to be endangered but asked the public for help to ensure his safety. Since then, the long gap without a public recovery or confirmed sighting has kept the case open and unsettled in the small northern New Mexico community.
The legal and procedural path now rests with the missing-person investigation. No charges have been announced, and police have not publicly named a suspect or person of interest. The next steps appear to depend on whether detectives can identify the scientist mentioned in the tip, verify any library research, examine Chavez’s journal or connect a reported sighting to a reliable record. Officers have previously asked anyone with information to contact the Los Alamos Emergency Communications Center. As of July 3, 2026, there has been no public announcement that Chavez has been located.
The scene described by friends and police remains simple but difficult to explain. Chavez’s car was locked at home. Personal items that people often carry were left behind. His family and friends said the disappearance did not match his habits. The new reference to a possible quantum physics project gives investigators and the public another detail to weigh, but it does not answer the larger question of where Chavez went after leaving 37th Street. For now, the case remains a missing-person investigation built around a short walk, a quiet home and a trail that has gone cold.
Chavez remains missing more than 13 months after he was reported gone. Police have not publicly tied the alleged research project to his disappearance, and the next milestone is any new update from Los Alamos investigators.
Author note: Last updated July 3, 2026.