Another scientist studying dark matter, killed

#1

• Victim: Carl Johann Grillmair (67, often called Carl Grillmair) → Associate Scientist at Caltech’s Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC). → 30+ years researching galactic structure, stellar streams, dark matter, and exoplanets. Worked on major NASA projects including the Spitzer Space Telescope.
• Incident: Shot and killed around 6 a.m. on Monday, February 16, 2026, on the front porch of his home in Llano, California (Antelope Valley). → LA County Medical Examiner ruled it a homicide — gunshot wound to the torso.
• Suspect: Freddy Snyder (29) → Arrested shortly afterward for carjacking a vehicle nearby. → Charged by LA County prosecutors with murder, carjacking, and burglary. Bail set between $2 million and $3 million.

He did work on exoplanets, but his biggest contributions were discovering stellar streams in our own Milky Way and studying how galaxies form.
Some news headlines dramatized it as “distant planets / search for life,” but he didn’t actually discover water on any exoplanet. The post just made it sound more dramatic.
https://x.com/Spacatmon/status/2024995545094443470?s=20

More details on his work.
https://x.com/Gt5Skier/status/2024885147531640964?s=20

2 Likes
#2

The little town of Llano CA that he lived in has an interesting history….

Llano is a name derived from Spanish meaning “plain”.[1]

The ruins of Llano del Rio are still extant along Highway 138 east of 165th Street East. The socialist community moved and Llano del Rio was abandoned in 1918, leaving behind the “ghost” of an alternative future for Los Angeles.[2]

Geography

Notable residents

edit

1 Like