Daniel Robinson; Vanished in the Desert

Written by: Kenzie Desrosiers

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On June 12, 2021, Daniel C. Robinson delivered an Instacart order. Upon knocking on the door, he met a woman named Katelyn and her friend. The girls, who were drunk, invited him inside to hangout. Robinson and Katelyn exchanged numbers. The following day, Katelyn messaged Robinson about a podcast. Over the next few days, they exchanged several text messages.

On June 14, Robinson texted “Hey, I accidently left my canopy outside your house. Is it still there? If so, is it okay if I pick it up?” While Katelyn tells Robinson that he can “pick it up whenever,” she is surprised to see him on her security footage. At the time, Katelyn was in Flagstaff. A few days later, Katelyn asked him to stop showing up unannounced. When she arranges for another time for Robinson to pick up the canopy, he tells her that he already grabbed it.

On June 16, Robinson messaged his friend, Antonio, whom he told he hooked up with one of the girls he had met while delivering alcohol.

On June 20, Robinson messaged her that he loved her. “Honestly, you showing up at my house unannounced made me extremely uncomfortable. I will not be home today, but I don’t see us hanging out any time soon.” The following day, Robinson reached out again, “I’m outside your place.” Katelyn confronts Robinson about his behavior and requests that he leaves her alone.

On June 21, Robinson sends one final message to Katelyn before deleting their messages. “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 following day, Robinson spoke with his friend, Luke, mentioning how he had been feeling depressed lately. His friend Ruben noted that Robinson seemed “off,” At some time on June 22, Robinson messaged his sister stating that he had an emergency, but he never responded to her repeated calls or texts.

According to a waitress at the Waffle House, Robinson had come in around 4Pm, on foot. She recalled that he acted “skittish,” which was odd and out of character.

Robinson’s family stated that he mentioned he was in love with a woman he had met. However, his family was concerned because he had only just met her and didn’t know much about her.

On June 23, Robinson drove to a remote job site in the Arizona desert around 9AM. According to his co-worker, Kenneth, Robinson had not been making much sense. Fifteen minutes after arriving, Robinson left the job site. Kenneth reported Robinson’s behavior to their project manager. After discovering that Robinson had not been located, he began searching for him. He followed tire tracks, he believed to be Robinson, headed westbound into the desert. When Officer Crewse was unable to locate Robinson, he entered him into the NCIC as a missing person.

On July 19, just before 9AM, a local rancher contacted Buckeye police that he had located Robinson’s 2017 Jeep Renegade in a ravine about 4 miles from where he was last seen. The vehicle had significant front-end damage. Evidence indicated that the vehicle had rolled once before resting on its side. The airbags had deployed, and the gear was in drive. Robinson’s cellphone, keys, wallet, laptop, and clothes were located with the vehicle.

According to the vehicle’s back box, the vehicle had been traveling at 30 mph at the time the airbags were deployed. The seatbelt had been worn, but it was unbuckled, and the driver’s window was shattered.

Reports showed that the Jeep was driven 11 miles after the initial crash, that there were multiple crashes, and that the vehicle has been cranked 40 times by someone after the initial crash.

While searching for Robinson, Buckeye police encountered a mountain lion, but there was no indication that Robinson had been attacked.

On July 31, a human skull was located near the vehicle recovery location. Based on the weathering of the skull, it had been there for some time. It was later determined that the skull did not belong to Robinson.

It's been four months since Robinson was last seen. Where is he?