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Dateline turns its focus to a mystery that still haunts the Arizona desert: the disappearance of Daniel Robinson. The young geologist vanished without warning in June 2021, leaving behind a Jeep, scattered belongings, and countless unanswered questions.
Dateline: Missing in America brings this case into the spotlight, piecing together the strange events that unfolded. What caused Daniel to disappear so suddenly? And why does it still feel like something crucial is missing?
A regular workday that turned into a mystery on Dateline
On June 23, 2021, Daniel Robinson arrived at his job site near Buckeye, Arizona, where he was scheduled to inspect a well. He met with a colleague, Ken Elliott, but the weather wasn’t on their side.
As they waited for the rain to stop, Elliott noticed Daniel acting strangely. He looked distant and suggested they leave work and go to Phoenix. When Elliott declined, Daniel silently got into his blue Jeep and drove off—not east, toward the road, but west, into the desert.
This moment marked the last time anyone saw him. Buckeye Police Chief Larry Hall later shared with Dateline that Daniel’s decision to drive into an uninhabited area was puzzling.
The Jeep was found weeks later in a ravine, with airbags deployed and clothes nearby—but the shocking twist was that Daniel was gone. The vehicle’s data only deepened the mystery. An accident reconstruction expert told Dateline that the crash didn’t quite match the location where the vehicle was eventually discovered.
“...Vehicles have a number of sensors which are constantly feeding information to the car’s internal systems and there can sometimes be a lag.”
Strange encounters and unsettling signs before vanishing
Days before Daniel went missing, he met a woman during an Instacart delivery. She later told police that after they exchanged numbers, Daniel began showing up uninvited.
While the behavior raised concerns, those close to him insisted it didn’t reflect who he truly was.
His father, David Robinson, described him as cheerful and confident, with no history of mental health issues. David tells Dateline:
"He's a happy guy...Nothing ever suggested he needed help."
Still, Daniel’s phone activity stopped the day he vanished — no texts, no calls, no money withdrawn. After weeks of silence, his Jeep was found, his personal items inside, and his vest, jeans, boots, and wallet left on the ground.
Buckeye police didn’t find any clear evidence pointing to foul play, yet David hired private investigator Jeff McGrath, who told Dateline;
"Of all my years of doing any type of vehicular crimes, this is the most mysterious case I’ve ever worked...”
He believes the Jeep was staged at the scene after crashing somewhere else.
A father's search for truth and clues in the aftermath
Daniel’s family, especially his father, refused to sit back and wait. After not hearing from Daniel, they filed a report. But early on, police believed he might have left on his own.
Unconvinced, David drove 2,000 miles from South Carolina to Arizona. He told Dateline:
"I thought I'd get there and hug him..."
That reunion never came. Instead, David found himself pushing local authorities to examine his son’s apartment and electronics.
Inside the apartment, the bedroom was a mess. While it could’ve been Daniel, the private investigator felt someone had been searching for something. David’s persistence led officials to run forensic tests.
Later, he was told that someone had accessed Daniel’s computer after the disappearance. Today, the family continues their private search, hoping someone will come forward with the missing piece. Daniel’s father says:
“That’s my son out there somewhere...I’m not going anywhere until we find him.”
Dateline brings Daniel Robinson’s case back into public view, but the questions still outweigh the answers. His family won’t stop searching—and neither should the public’s attention. Somewhere in the desert, or hidden in the details, the truth still waits to be found.
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