Viswa Vanapalli
In June 2021, a young man suddenly disappeared after leaving work, leaving his family and friends searching for answers since then. Daniel Robinson seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving little evidence behind. NBC News’ ‘Dateline: Missing In America’ is a podcast that focuses on the tragic disappearances of people all over the country. One of the episodes deals with Daniel’s case and the circumstances leading up to his vanishing.
Daniel Robinson Went Missing After Work
Daniel Robinson was a 24-year-old living in Arizona at the time of the incident. He worked as a field geologist in Buckeye, Arizona, a job he took up after graduating from the College of Charleston in South Carolina in 2019. David was known to always stay in touch with family and friends, and it was unusual for him not to contact them if something happened. So, his loved ones were worried when they couldn’t get a hold of the young man towards the end of June 2021.
A field worker last saw Daniel on the morning of June 23, 2021. At the time, he left at around 9:15 am, driving from his worksite into the desert. Nobody knew where Daniel was going because he hadn’t talked to anyone about it. After learning that coworkers were looking for him, the family joined the search. Almost a month later, on July 19, 2021, Daniel’s car was found in a ravine about four miles from his job site. While his belongings were still there, he was nowhere to be seen.
Daniel Robinson’s Father is Determined to Find His Son
Initially, Daniel’s father, David Robinson, knew something was wrong when he learned from his daughter about Daniel’s coworkers searching for him. According to David, the authorities stopped looking for his son because he was an adult. He said, “When I heard that, that was unacceptable to me. So I grabbed everything I could, and I started driving. I made it out here, and I’ve been here since June the 26th searching for my son.”
On July 19, 2021, a rancher found Daniel’s car crashed in a ravine on his property, bringing renewed attention to the case. However, the vehicle’s condition and the ensuing evidence found left everyone with more questions than answers. The vehicle sustained heavy damage, but there was proof that the driver had been wearing a seat belt. Daniel’s wallet, keys, and cellphone were found in the car, but there were no signs of him.
A private investigator hired by the family, Jeff McGrath, noticed discrepancies with the car. He believed the damage to Daniel’s vehicle didn’t match the area where it was found. Not just that, an analysis revealed that after the airbags were deployed, someone tried to start the car at least 46 times, and it was driven for about 11 miles after the crash. However, the authorities stated that the 11-mile discrepancy was not unusual and believed that the car rolled over.
However, in Jeff’s opinion, the evidence didn’t suggest that Daniel’s car rolled over. He stated that in that scenario, the top would have been damaged, and the windows would have shattered. He felt there was a collision and that the accident was staged. The investigation revealed that Daniel wasn’t himself in the time leading up to his disappearance. He had been in talking to someone named Katelyn, who had asked him to leave her alone; text messages showed that Daniel kept coming to her house unannounced.
While the authorities have continued investigating the case, they believe there isn’t any foul play in Daniel’s disappearance. His father, however, has not given up on the search and has since even started a foundation in his son’s name. David said, “The goal is to help other families not go through what I have been through just to get to this point. I’m here until I find my son. That’s what the goal is; that’s what I’m really fighting. I’m doing anything I can to make sure that happens. I think any father, any mother would do the same.”
In June 2023, the police revealed new information regarding Daniel’s search history, revealing that some of his latest Google search queries included phrases like “love changed me,” “delete Instagram account,” “shooting Tempe,” “explosion,” and “I’m okay to do things I hate.” His sister also told the authorities he had apparently been staring at walls without aim for about two weeks before he went missing, indicating some personal issue. Coming to the private side of the investigation, Jeff vehemently maintains his belief that somebody other than the police had been to Daniel’s room after he had disappeared, as his closet had been upended and his laptop had been accessed. In other words, he suspects foul play while authorities suspect a different path.
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