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Daniel Robinson's Father Believes Someone Was in Son's Apartment after His Mysterious Disappearance
David Robinson participated in a CrimeCon 2023 panel alongside the parents of Gabby Petito and Candice Cooley, the mother of missing person Dylan Rounds.
Daniel Robinson's father shared an update on the investigation into the his son's disappearance more than two years after the geologist went missing.
Speaking during a panel at CrimeCon 2023, David Robinson revealed that someone was likely in Daniel's Tempe, Arizona apartment after he disappeared from a work site on June 23, 2021. He hasn't been seen or heard from since,
The Robinson family grew concerned after they hadn’t heard from the 24-year-old, which was unusual, prompting them to file a missing persons report. But authorities suggested that Daniel had willingly gone missing and declined to pursue an investigation.
As days passed by without contact from Daniel, David hired a personal investigator and gained access to the Tempe apartment, which was relatively clean. The bedroom, however, was “really messy,” David shared with attendees.
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Daniel Robinson's Apartment Searched
Though David assumed that Daniel had failed to clean his room, the private investigator told him that it looked more like “somebody digging and looking for something.”
They couldn’t confirm that Daniel hadn’t made the mess himself, so David continued to pressure law enforcement to take the case more seriously and process the scene. He even met with the mayor of Tempe, as well as the chief of police. “My team and I [were] able to convince them to do the forensics on everything, all of the electronics that my son owned, from the gaming system to his personal computers,” David shared.
David has since received the results of the testing, which showed that someone “was in there searching on his computer, going through his files” after Daniel had already gone missing.
Evidence Found Near Jeep
The Robinson family hopes that authorities will agree to process other evidence found in and around Daniel’s Jeep, which was located in July 2021. The vehicle was found a few miles from the work site where Daniel was last seen, having apparently been driven into a ravine. The airbags were deployed and the sunroof was kicked out, while Daniel’s clothing, wallet, keys, and laptop were found outside the vehicle.
David is personally footing the bill to keep the evidence preserved, even though it wouldn't be admissible in court because the chain of custody has been broken. “I'm holding it begging, pleading for help to get those things processed,” David said.
The Gabby Petito Foundation Brings Awareness
The Gabby Petito Foundation invited David, as well as missing man Dylan Rounds’ mother Candice Cooley, to speak at their panel about the disproportionate amount of media coverage that missing white women get compared to men. The foundation hopes to level the playing field and bring attention to cases like Dylan and Daniel’s.
“Today is particularly hard for us but if you can, please take a moment and share a #missingpersons story to help bring them home safe,” Joseph Petito wrote a day after it was revealed that Gabby's remains had been recovered. “Every story deserves the same attention.”
Anyone with any information on the case is urged to call a police tip line at 623-349-6411.
