The Disappearance of Daniel Robinson

Anyone with any knowledge of his disappearance is encouraged to reach out to the family through their 24/7 tip line at 844-602-0660, or to the Buckeye Police Department at 623-349-6411.

When twenty-four-year-old geologist Daniel Robinson left work on the morning of June 23, 2021, no one knew where he was going or why he was leaving work so early; they only noticed that he was driving west, further into the desert. The unexpected departure was out of character for Robinson, so when he failed to return that afternoon and no one had heard from him outside of work, his disappearance was reported to the police.

Days soon turned to weeks and there was still no sign of Daniel. Then, in late July, a month after he went missing, Daniel’s Jeep was found rolled over and crashed in a ravine some distance from the job site. The airbags in the car had both deployed and there was significant damage to the vehicle, but there was no sign of Daniel Robinson, turning a relatively routine missing person case into a bizarre mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

References

Beresford, Jack. 2021. Gabby Petito Case Sparks Appeal Over Unsolved Disappearance of Arizona Man. September 20. Accessed August 10, 2026. https://www.newsweek.com/gabby-petito-case-appeal-unsolved-disappearance-arizona-man-daniel-robinson-1630758.

Cardoba Perez, Angela, and Perry Vandell. 2022. "Geologist remains missing one year later." Arizona Republic, June 24: 4.

Ellis, Nicquel Terry. 2024. "Turning tragedy into purpose: Gabby Petito's father advocates for missing Black and brown people." CNN, December 24.

Encinas, Amaris. 2021. "Family still searching for missing 24-year-old." Arizona Republic, September 21: 3.

Galka, Matt, and Brent Corrado. 2021. Investigators release new details about crash leading up to geologist's disappearance. November 4. Accessed August 10, 2026. https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/daniel-robinson-investigators-release-new-details-about-crash-leading-up-to-geologists-disappearance.

Gonzalez, Jose. 2023. "Police reveal new casework on missing Tempe geologist." Arizona Republic, June 2: 12.

Hardle, Alexandra. 2024. "How a missing son led Robinson to a run for Congress." Arizona Republic, March 20: B3.

Jaafari, Joseph Darius. 2021. "Who crashed car belonging to missing geologist?" Arizona Republic, October 6: 1.

Jensen, Audrey. 2021. "Search continues for man last seen in Buckeye." Arizona Republic, July 11: A4.

2023. Disappeared. Directed by Ricky Lewis.

Sarup, Eshaan. 2023. "New information on Daniel Robinson, who has been missing since 2021." Arizona Republic, October 13: 10.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)

Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)

Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley

Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally

Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)

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