BUCKEYE, AZ — It has been one year since the disappearance of Daniel Robinson — but his father hasn’t given up hope.
The then-24-year-old geologist was last seen driving a Jeep Renegade from his job site in the Buckeye area on June 23, 2021.
His Jeep was later found in July in a ravine about three miles from the worksite. His clothes, boots, phone, wallet, and keys were found inside.
The vehicle experienced more than 40 ignition cycles after it apparently crashed. It's unclear if those attempts to start the Jeep were from the driver or occurred during the towing and recovery process.
Detectives originally said they obtained a ping from his phone, but were unable to track it due to the phone being off or out of range. After obtaining his call records, they learned that he has not made any calls or texts after leaving the site.
According to an investigative report, family, friends and coworkers said that Robinson had been acting strangely in the days before he'd gone missing. Robinson was last seen by a coworker who said he arrived at the site and was "saying things that did not make sense" and suddenly left after about 15 minutes.
Authorities conducted searches shortly after Robinson went missing, but since then, most of the ongoing searches have been led by volunteers, groups, and Robinson's family, according to social media updates. The family has said that they believe Buckeye police took too long to start searching for Daniel.
David Robinson, Daniel's father, previously told ABC15 that he believes the Gabby Petito case gave his son's case renewed attention, this time in the national spotlight.
"It took an unfortunate missing person case that captured the nation's attention that my son had a shot at being seen and heard," David said.
Human remains have been located during searches of the area but they were not a match for Robinson, according to officials.
David posted on Facebook Thursday, saying, "Today marks one year that my son went missing. To the world, it's one year. To us the parents, the family, it's every day one after the other, a continuous moments passing by where hope is always shadowed by dismay. Somehow, day after day the will to keep searching triumphant over (losing) hope."
He continued, "I will keep doing everything that I can as a father to fulfill my birthright of protecting my children in every aspect, their honor, and justice they deserve. Geologist Daniel Robinson is not just a Missing Person, he's a scientist, an entrepreneur, a would be young millionaire, a future president if he chose to. Most of all, Daniel is our son, a brother, a cousin, a nephew, grandchild, and friend whose presence is missed in our lives. I still retain hope that he will be returned to us alive and that we will continue our life long journey with this great man with us."
According to a website dedicated to the search for Robinson, a “specialized desert search operation” will take place on June 25 off Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road in Buckeye. The search will start at 5:45 a.m. and end at 10:30 a.m.
