6 things to know about Arizona geologist Daniel Robinson's disappearance

Daniel Robinson, a geologist from Arizona, disappeared under mysterious circumstances last year, shocking colleagues, friends, and family. Investigation Discovery's Disappeared season 10 episode 2 is all set to recount the intriguing story of Robinson's disappearance.

Titled Disappearance in the Desert, the episode will premiere on Investigation Discovery this September 14, 2022. Like other episodes of the docu-series, this one too will be narrated by the friends and family of the victim and investigators who were invested in solving the case of the missing Daniel Robinson.

But before it drops, here are some interesting facts to know about the case.

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6 facts about the disappearance of Daniel Robinson

Read on to learn some interesting and intriguing facts surrounding Daniel's disappearance, which are sure to shock readers.

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1) Daniel disappeared under mysterious circumstances

Daniel Robinson disappeared under very mysterious circumstances on June 23, 2021. Before he went missing, he was allegedly behaving strangely, according to his co-worker Ken Elliott, who was a pump technician working with Daniel.

Elliot reportedly said that he met Daniel at the desert site that day to check a well, but the duo were waiting for the storm to pass. While gazing out into the desert, Daniel had suggested that they leave work to go relax in Phoenix, but Elliot passed on that opportunity. Daniel went ahead alone and that was the last time anyone saw him.

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2) Daniel Robinson's jeep was found later

Robinson's Jeep was found abandoned in a ravine about three miles away from his work site in the Arizona desert a month later. The jeep was in disheveled condition with the airbags deployed and the sunroof panel kicked out. Daniel's personal belongings, including his orange construction vest, boots, pair of blue jeans, backpack, laptop, cell phone and apartment keys were discovered in the Jeep but there was no sign of Daniel.

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3) Dispute over the disappearance

There was a dispute over whether foul play was involved in Daniel Robinson's disappearance. Police authorities believed that there was nothing at the site to indicate that the disappearance was at the hands of another individual. A statement regarding the case made by the authorities, read:

"When a loved one is missing, it is a terrifying, confusing and stressful time for families and our entire community. Investigators continue their pursuit of answers that can bring Daniel home and provide closure for the Robinson family and the many people who have been touched by his case."

On the other hand, Daniel’s father and a private investigator named Jeff McGrath, who specializes in accident reconstruction, believed something else. According to Jeff, this was the most mysterious case he had ever worked on and he believed that the vehicle’s airbags had been deployed at another location before it was driven to the ravine.

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4) Questions arose over Daniel's mental state

There was a lot of dispute around the disappearance of Daniel Robinson. Police reports said that no second person was involved in the case and also dug into Daniel’s mental state before he went missing. It was revealed that Daniel had a fixation on a woman named Katelyn, to whom he delivered groceries.

Although Katelyn told the police she had no relationship with Daniel, another friend of his mentioned that Daniel had reportedly hooked up with one of the girls he delivered to. Katelyn told the police that Daniel became obsessed with her and started showing up at her house and texting her about how much he loved her. When Katelyn asked him to stop, he texted:

“The world can get better, but I’ll have to take all the time I can or we can, whatever to name it. I’ll either see you again or never see you again.”

The picture of Daniel Robinson as a scorned and depressed man did not fit with his father's version of him. He believed that his son was a go-getter, a scientist, who had the potential to change the world because a bright future lay ahead of him.

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5) Daniel's dad David Robinson took matters into his own hands

He believed that the police authorities were not doing enough to look for his son, so he took matters into his own hands and hired a private investigator, Jeff McGrath. Jeff is a former cop and vehicular crime investigator. Most of the searches for Daniel Robinson were conducted by volunteers, groups, and Robinson's family.

David, who was fed up with the Buckeye Police and their meager attempts to solve the case, said:

"So far, I have conducted over 40 weeks of searches in the Sonoran Desert, a search based on science and investigation that covers large amounts of land. We have searched over 23K acres of that large area that has areas that haven't been searched yet. I am currently working on that."

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6) David Robinson still holds out hope

Although it has been a year since his son went missing, David Robinson still holds out hope. He continues his search for his son even today and made a post remembering him, a few months ago, which read:

"Today marks one year that my son went missing. To the world, it's one year. To us, the family, it's every day one after the other, continuous moments passing by where hope is always shadowed by dismay. Somehow, day after day the will to keep searching triumphant over loosing hope."

He hosted a Day of Remembrance at the Arizona State Capitol House and Senate Lawn, in honor of his son and other missing people whose families are still waiting for their return. The Robinson family even organized a search from 5:45 am until 10 am, off Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road on that day.

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Catch the story of Daniel Robinson this September 14, 2022, on Investigation Discovery.