Daniel Robinson, 24, was last seen leaving a work site in Buckeye, Arizona on June 23, 2021.
Daniel Robinson’s family
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Daniel Robinson’s family
On a June morning three years ago, geologist Daniel Robinson drove his blue-gray Jeep Renegade away from a job site in Buckeye, Arizona. He is believed to be heading west from the Phoenix suburbs into the desert.
The 24-year-old man was reported missing later that day.
His father, David Robinson, described Daniel as a bold personality who made friends easily. Daniel is confident and willing to challenge anything.
“Daniel would go after anything he wanted. Very adventurous and loved to be a part of everything,” David Robinson told NPR.
Robinson said he and his family have endured a difficult three years since Daniel disappeared on June 23, 2021.
He summed up the emotion of Daniel’s disappearance in one word: hurt.
“For our family … we have constant reminders every day, as you know, on birthdays, holidays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, that Daniel is not here,” Robinson told NPR.
But since the day Daniel disappeared, detectives with the Buckeye Police Department say they have been investigating what happened to Daniel.
Despite an outpouring of clues from the public, there are still no answers.
David Robinson, who has worked tirelessly to ensure his son’s case is not forgotten, said he was still fighting for answers three years after Daniel’s disappearance.
“The evidence is there. You just have to look for it,” Robinson said. “I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to make sure [the case] Stay open.
His father said there may have been foul play
Daniel Robinson, 24, was last seen leaving a worksite in Buckeye, Arizona on June 23, 2021. Here, a billboard on an Arizona interstate advertises a website and phone number for survey tips.
Daniel Robinson’s family
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Daniel Robinson’s family
Robinson said his son moved to Phoenix after graduating from the College of Charleston in 2019 to work as a field geologist, overseeing many sites in remote desert areas and often traveling long distances for work.
But regardless of the time or distance between Robinson and his son, who live in Columbia, South Carolina, the conversations between the two are consistent and rarely brief.
“Every time we talk, it always lasts two hours,” Robinson said.
Daniel was last seen leaving his job at a well in Buckeye just after 9 a.m. on June 23. His Jeep was found by a landowner in a desert canyon on July 19, less than a month after it was last seen, according to the Buckeye Police Department.
Detectives with the police department reported that the Jeep was “severely damaged” and searchers were unable to get a clear view of the vehicle due to the rough terrain.
Daniel’s clothing, cellphone, wallet and keys were found at the scene and foul play was not suspected due to the condition of his car, authorities said. But three years later, Daniel is still missing.
The Buckeye Police Department declined NPR’s request for an interview for this article.
But the department said in a statement it was “committed to locating Daniel Robinson and finding answers for his loved ones,” adding that detectives would continue to investigate “every tip and lead” reported to them.
The department said that while there is no evidence linking Daniel’s disappearance to foul play, that does not mean his case “becomes any less important.”
Daniel’s father says he believes foul play did play a role in his son’s disappearance. He said even though he helped coordinate multiple searches and the family hired a private investigator, there were still things that didn’t add up.
Robinson said new evidence uncovered by private investigators included further damage to the paint on Daniel’s vehicle and that the Jeep was started dozens of times after the accident – all of which point to possible foul play.
“After the airbag deployed, someone turned the ignition on at least 46 times. This is not normal,” Jeff McGrath, an accident reconstruction expert and private investigator hired by the Robinson family, told local television station KPNX in 2021.
“What we found at the scene, my investigators provided evidence of foul play — physical evidence,” Robinson said. “We have a lot of evidence of foul play. We just don’t know… what happened to Daniel. But we do know [crime] The scene is not right.
“A passion for helping others as much as they helped me”
Robinson said he is publicizing his case in any way possible, including hosting a virtual event called “Bringing America Home,” which raises awareness of Daniel’s case and other families with missing loved ones.
2024 marks the third year since Daniel’s disappearance, and Robinson is taking another step forward in his efforts to find his son: running for Congress.
Robinson, an Army veteran, announced in March his plans to run for Congress in his home state of South Carolina. If elected, he said he plans to push to make it easier for families to find missing loved ones.
One idea, he said, is to improve how phone records are handled. Robinson said he would propose legislation that would give payers immediate access to data in emergencies, such as missing persons cases.
“I’ve been searching for my son in the desert for 49 weeks and talking to other family members out there who have actually even lost their own relatives but are still in the desert with me,” he said.
“It gave me a passion to help others as much as they helped me,” he added.
He said that in addition to running for Congress, he will continue to return to Arizona and work with law enforcement to find his son.
“I want to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to make sure that Daniel’s case remains open and doesn’t become a cold case,” he said.
