Mark Casias seeks restraining order against investigator in Melissa Casias case

Mark Casias has asked a judge for a restraining order against Thomas McNally, a private investigator hired by Melissa Casias’ family, adding a new civil fight to an investigation that still has no public answer on how she died. In court filings, Casias said McNally accused him of murdering his wife and that he feared for his safety and his family’s safety.

Melissa Casias was 53 and worked as an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She was reported missing on June 26, 2025, after she did not show up for work and did not return home, and family members said she had last been seen near Talpa, New Mexico, southeast of Ranchos de Taos, after dropping lunch off for her daughter. Relatives also said her purse, car, keys, wallet, phones and computer were left at home.

The search that followed drew hundreds of volunteers, family members and law enforcement across northern New Mexico, with the family offering a $5,000 reward for information. In late May 2026, a hiker found human remains in the McGaffey Ridge area of Carson National Forest, and the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator identified the remains as Melissa Casias. Authorities said a handgun was found alongside the remains, but the cause and manner of death have not been determined.

New Mexico State Police have said the investigation remains ongoing, even though the remains were found in an area that had been searched before. Police have not ruled out foul play, and the discovery has kept attention fixed on the unanswered questions surrounding the case as the family and investigators continue to work through the evidence.

The restraining-order petition, filed May 18, places the dispute into a separate legal lane from the death investigation itself. McNally had been working with Melissa Casias’ mother and niece since she disappeared, and the filing means a judge may now have to decide whether the accusations and stated safety concerns are enough to limit contact between the men while the broader case continues. For Los Alamos and Taos County residents who followed the search from the start, the court action underscores how the case has moved from a missing-person effort into a long-running legal and investigative fight with no final determination yet on what happened near McGaffey Ridge.