Nearly a year after Melissa Casias vanished without a trace, her family says the discovery of her remains has only deepened the mystery surrounding her disappearance — and strengthened their belief that she neither abandoned her loved ones nor took her own life.

Speaking publicly for the first time since investigators identified Melissa’s remains, relatives told KOB 4 that they reject any suggestion she willingly disappeared or died by suicide. Instead, they say too many unanswered questions remain, pointing to evidence they believe deserves closer examination as authorities continue their investigation.

Melissa Casias, a longtime employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, disappeared one year ago after what should have been an ordinary day. Her disappearance quickly became one of New Mexico’s most puzzling missing persons cases, drawing national attention because of her work at one of the country’s most sensitive scientific facilities and because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the day she vanished.

Last month, investigators confirmed that a hiker discovered Melissa’s skeletonized remains in a remote section of Carson National Forest. A handgun was reportedly found near her body, but officials have not determined her cause or manner of death. The New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator continues to conduct forensic testing, and authorities have repeatedly said they are considering every possible explanation while awaiting final results.

For Melissa’s family, however, the discovery has not changed their conviction that something terrible happened to her.

“Melissa is my aunt. She’s my mom’s little sister,” her niece, Jazmin McMillen, told KOB 4. “She was an avid reader. She was a fierce hunter, outdoors woman.”

McMillen described Melissa as someone deeply devoted to those closest to her and said the family has struggled for nearly a year with speculation suggesting she voluntarily disappeared.

“It was pretty early on that there was this narrative that was strongly pushed that Melissa left on her own, that we didn’t need to look for her because she left with another man,” McMillen said.

She described that suggestion as deeply painful.

“That was really hurtful to our family because we know that Melissa is a kind and caring, loving, genuine person,” she said. “She was not the kind of person to put her family through the kind of pain that this situation brings.”

According to her family, Melissa would never have walked away from her daughter or vanished without notifying those she loved.

“You know, she would not have left without saying something to her loved ones, without saying something to her daughter,” McMillen said.

The family’s concerns began the day Melissa disappeared.

Relatives have previously said her daughter returned home to what they described as an unsettling scene. Melissa was gone, yet many of her personal belongings remained behind.

According to the family, her vehicle was still parked at the house. Her purse had not been taken. The doors were locked.

Perhaps most puzzling, they said, both of Melissa’s cell phones had been reset to factory settings.

To the family, those circumstances never fit the theory that Melissa had simply chosen to leave.

Instead, they believe the evidence suggests something interrupted her normal routine before she could return home.

Authorities have released relatively little information about the investigation, saying only that they continue pursuing leads while awaiting forensic findings.

The discovery of Melissa’s remains has raised additional questions rather than providing definitive answers.

Investigators confirmed a handgun was located near her body in the Carson National Forest, but officials have not publicly said whether the weapon belonged to Melissa or whether it was connected to her death.

Authorities have also not released toxicology findings or explained whether any injuries were discovered during the initial examination of her remains.

Those unanswered questions have prompted Melissa’s family to begin conducting their own independent review of the evidence.

After locating Melissa’s remains, family members personally visited the recovery site.

They later retained attorney David Adams, who says his firm is assisting with a separate investigation while cooperating with law enforcement.

Adams told KOB 4 that additional items recovered from the area where Melissa’s remains were discovered deserve closer examination.

“It was certainly troubling to find out that that resulted in several different little bags of evidence from that crime scene,” Adams said.

According to him, investigators recovered numerous items beyond Melissa’s remains.

“Articles of clothing, paper that was, you know, shredded into pieces, wrappers,” Adams explained. “Lots of different types of hair was found. There was an orange peel found and bones were also found as well.”

He did not specify whether those items belonged to Melissa or whether forensic testing has linked them to the case.

Still, Adams believes they illustrate why investigators should continue examining every possible scenario.

His law firm is now reviewing information gathered during the nearly eleven months Melissa was missing.

That includes tips submitted by members of the public that the family says may never have been fully investigated.

Adams said his team hopes to identify overlooked evidence that could assist authorities as the official investigation continues.

He declined to identify any specific suspects but indicated that certain individuals deserve additional scrutiny.

“I can say that based upon some of the circumstantial evidence that we’ve been provided with since getting involved in this case, there are certainly a number of red flags that point towards individuals that should be looked at closer given their own history, and given some of the allegations that have been said about them,” Adams said.

He emphasized that his comments should not be interpreted as accusations against any individual.

Instead, he said the goal is to ensure every credible lead receives appropriate attention before investigators reach final conclusions.

Melissa’s disappearance has remained one of New Mexico’s highest-profile unsolved cases because of both her profession and the unusual timeline surrounding her final known movements.

She worked as an administrative employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the nation’s premier scientific research facilities involved in national security programs.

Although investigators have never publicly suggested her employment was connected to her disappearance, online speculation intensified after several unrelated deaths and disappearances involving scientists and government employees drew widespread attention.

Law enforcement has consistently cautioned against connecting those cases without evidence.

Officials have repeatedly said there is currently no indication Melissa’s work at the laboratory played any role in her disappearance.

Instead, investigators say they continue following evidence wherever it leads.

The New Mexico State Police previously stated they are considering all potential causes and manners of death pending the final report from the Office of the Medical Investigator.

No timeline has been announced for completion of that report.

For Melissa’s family, the wait has become increasingly difficult.

After nearly a year of searching, organizing volunteer efforts and pleading for information, they now find themselves facing a different mission.

Rather than hoping for Melissa’s safe return, they say they are determined to uncover exactly what happened during her final hours.

They believe the unanswered questions surrounding her disappearance deserve thorough investigation, regardless of where the evidence ultimately leads.

Until forensic testing is completed and investigators announce their conclusions, Melissa’s relatives say they will continue seeking answers while honoring the memory of the woman they describe as a devoted mother, loving family member and compassionate friend whose disappearance changed their lives forever.

For now, they remain steadfast in one belief: Melissa did not abandon her family, and she deserves a complete accounting of how she died.