Key facts
- Name: Daniel Robinson
- Born: January 14, 1997, South Carolina
- Age at disappearance: 24
- Last seen: June 23, 2021, ~9:15–9:45 a.m.
- Location: Remote well site near Sun Valley Parkway & Cactus Road, Buckeye, Arizona
- Height / weight: 5’8″, 165 lbs, black hair, brown eyes
- Key identifier: Born without a lower right arm — missing part of the right forearm, including the hand
- Status: Still missing — case open
- Case numbers: NamUs 82064 (via secondary citation); Buckeye PD 21-0623079
- Investigating agency: Buckeye Police Department
- Vehicle: Blue-grey 2017 Jeep Renegade, found July 19, 2021
The geologist who drove into the desert
On the morning of June 23, 2021, Daniel Robinson showed up for work on time at a remote groundwater-survey site in the desert west of Phoenix. He spoke briefly with a coworker. Then, sometime between about 9:15 and 9:45 a.m., he climbed into his blue-grey Jeep Renegade and drove west — into the desert.
Twenty-seven days later, a rancher found the Jeep on its side in a ravine, three to four miles southwest of the job site. The airbags had gone off. His phone, his wallet, his keys, his clothes were in and around it. There was no blood.
There was no Daniel.
Five years later, his father is still searching that same desert.
Who Daniel was
Daniel Robinson was 24, a geology graduate of the College of Charleston, working as a hydrogeologist and field geologist for Matrix New World Engineering. He lived in Tempe and worked the far West Valley’s remote well sites — solitary, technical fieldwork, the kind he loved.
His father, David Robinson II, a retired U.S. Army veteran, called him “a very happy, smart guy… loves life and loves his job” — and his disappearance “very unlike him.” Daniel was athletic despite being born without part of his right forearm, a distinguishing feature that makes him unmistakable in any photograph.
Buckeye police would later say his behavior in the days before had been “not like himself at times” — but that there was “no indication that he wished to harm himself or leave the area.”
June 23, 2021: the timeline
- ~9:00 a.m. — Daniel is at work at the remote well site near Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road, Buckeye. He speaks briefly with a coworker — the man’s first day on the job — who later described the conversation as unusual.
- ~9:15–9:45 a.m. — Daniel leaves the site in his Jeep Renegade, driving west into the desert. Last confirmed sighting.
- That evening — Coworkers report Daniel never came back; his father reports him missing. The family would later say the official response was too slow: a helicopter search requested June 24 wasn’t approved until June 25; Tempe police checked his apartment June 24 but didn’t go inside until July 7.
- June–July 2021 — Ground teams, a DPS Ranger helicopter, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, search-and-rescue dogs, drones, Civil Air Patrol aerial searches. Nothing.
- July 19, 2021 (27 days later) — A rancher finds the Jeep rolled on its side in a ravine on his property, roughly three to four miles southwest of the job site. Airbags deployed; evidence the driver was wearing a seatbelt. Personal effects in and around the vehicle: cell phone, wallet, keys, clothes — jeans and boots inside out, a faded orange company-logo vest, t-shirt, socks inside out. One removable roof panel on the ground, wedged under the front. The driver’s front window shattered. No blood was found. The family says no forensic testing was done at the scene, despite their wishes. No sign of Daniel.
The investigation
The Jeep raised more questions than it answered. In October 2021, the family commissioned an independent collision report from San Tan Recon: a single rollover crash, speed increasing before impact — possibly an attempt to drive up the ravine’s side — and more than 40 ignition cycles logged after the crash, of unknown origin.
On November 6, 2021, human remains — a skull — were found during a private search. They were determined not to be Daniel’s. On November 23, 2021, the FBI was briefed on the case.
Buckeye PD keeps an official investigation timeline page, and the case remains an open missing-persons investigation — the Jeep crash has never been officially closed out as a resolved accident. The family disputes the crash narrative and has pushed for the case to be reclassified as a criminal investigation.
And then there is David Robinson II. He drove 2,000 miles from South Carolina. He has spent more than 50 weeks searching the desert himself. He hired a private investigator, Jeff McGrath. Along the way, he has helped find other missing persons’ remains. He’s pushing a proposed federal bill — the “Please Help Find Missing Americans Act,” called the “Daniel Robinson Law” — to standardize real-time telecom data access in missing-persons cases. (As of October 2026, it’s proposed legislation at the petition stage — not law.) In April 2026, Joseph Petito — Gabby Petito’s father — traveled to Arizona to search alongside David.
The case has also become part of a larger national conversation about disparities in how missing-persons cases get covered and resourced — one David Robinson has carried into media appearances for five years.
Theories: what might have happened
A single-vehicle rollover, then disoriented wandering. The crash in extreme desert heat, followed by dehydration or heat illness — consistent with the scene, plausible, and unproven. No body, no forensic evidence of what came after the crash.
Foul play staged as a crash. The family’s reading — the odd behavior beforehand, anomalies in the vehicle’s data, the Jeep turning up late near heavily searched ground. There is no evidence anyone else was involved. This is the family’s disputed interpretation, not an official finding.
Self-harm or walking away. Buckeye police found no indication of either.
Have information?
Contact the Buckeye Police Department: 623-349-6411, the family’s 24/7 tip line: 844-602-0660, or visit pleasehelpfinddaniel.com. You can also contact America’s Most Wanted: 1-866-AMW-TIPS. In an emergency, dial 911. Reference Buckeye PD case 21-0623079.
Timeline
- January 14, 1997 — Daniel Robinson is born in South Carolina.
- 2017 — Graduates from the College of Charleston with a geology degree.
- June 23, 2021, ~9:15–9:45 a.m. — Leaves his desert job site in his Jeep; last confirmed sighting.
- June 23, 2021 (evening) — Reported missing by his father.
- June–July 2021 — Ground, air, dog, and drone searches; nothing.
- July 19, 2021 — Jeep found rolled in a ravine ~3–4 miles from the job site; no Daniel.
- October 2021 — Family-commissioned collision report released.
- November 6, 2021 — Human remains found during private search are not Daniel’s.
- May 2023 — CNN covers the family’s account of the slow police response.
- April 2026 — Gabby Petito’s father joins the search.
- Today — Still missing; case open.
FAQ
Is Daniel Robinson still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Daniel Robinson has been missing for more than five years. The Buckeye Police Department case remains open.
How old would Daniel Robinson be today?
Daniel was born January 14, 1997 — he turned 29 in January 2026.
Was Daniel Robinson’s Jeep found?
Yes — on July 19, 2021, 27 days after he vanished, a rancher found his Jeep Renegade rolled on its side in a ravine about three to four miles from his job site. His phone, wallet, keys, and clothes were in and around it. There was no blood and no sign of Daniel.
What is the Daniel Robinson Law?
A proposed federal bill — the “Please Help Find Missing Americans Act” — pushed by Daniel’s father to standardize real-time telecom data access in missing-persons cases. As of October 2026, it is at the petition/proposal stage; it is not law.
Was foul play involved?
There is no evidence of another person’s involvement. The family disputes the accident narrative and has pushed for the case to be treated as a criminal investigation, but Buckeye PD’s official status is an open missing-persons investigation.
How can I help?
Share this case file, and if you have any information, contact Buckeye PD at 623-349-6411 or the family’s 24/7 tip line at 844-602-0660. Please do not contact the family directly with speculation.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Buckeye Police Department investigation timeline (https://www.buckeyeaz.gov/community/daniel-robinson-2070).
- News: CNN (May 2023); NBC Dateline “Missing in America”; Oxygen; Fox News Digital (2026).
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Disappearance of Daniel Robinson” (retrieved Oct 2026); Missing Persons Center (https://missingpersonscenter.org/missing-persons-directory/missing-adults/daniel-robinson/).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.