Human bones found in desert during search for missing 24-year-old, Arizona cops say
A search team has scoured the Arizona desert looking for a missing 24-year-old for months — and they have found human remains.
Family members, however, don’t think the remains belonged to their loved one.
Geologist Daniel Robinson left a job site on June 23 and hasn’t been seen or heard from since, the Buckeye Police Department in Arizona said. Robinson didn’t tell anyone where he was going or why he left, McClatchy News reported.
Since his disappearance, officials said they have scoured more than 70 square miles. In July, they found his Jeep in a ravine with the airbags deployed.
His cell phone, wallet and other personal items were found in the Jeep, according to police. Days later, they found a human skull.
“On July 31, 2021, a human skull was located in an area south of where the Jeep had been recovered,” Buckeye officials said in a Sept. 16 news release. “It was later determined the remains do not belong to Daniel.”
Since then, Robinson’s family has continued searching for him. Search volunteers found human remains in the desert on Saturday, Nov. 6, near where Robinson was reported missing.
“My weekly searches for my son … has again uncovered human remains out in the desert of Buckeye, AZ, hopefully bringing some closure to another grieving family,” his father, David, said on Twitter. “The human remains is not Daniel. I will continue my searches for my son.”
Two femur bones, a vertebrae and sides of a pelvis were discovered, according to FOX 10. The bones were sent to a medical examiner for identification, 12 News reported.
While local authorities have been searching for Robinson for months, his disappearance has been getting more national attention recently.
After officials said they found the remains of missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito, people on social media started drawing attention to Robinson’s disappearance.
“I’m shaking reading about the discovery of Gabby Petito’s body in Wyoming,” journalist Shayla Davis said Sept. 19 on Twitter. “While we’re watching this case unfold, please take 5 seconds to read about Daniel Robinson, a geologist who went missing in the desert outside Buckeye three months ago. His father is still looking for him.”
Robinson’s father also told AZ Family he was feeling a “sudden movement” for his son’s search efforts after Petito’s suspected remains were found.
Police said Robinson is 5 feet, 8 inches, and weighs 165 pounds. He has black hair and black eyes, and is missing his right hand and forearm.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 7:57 AM with the headline "Human bones found in desert during search for missing 24-year-old, Arizona cops say."