Gabby Petito’s widely publicized search and recovery mission has renewed demand for authorities to find a young geologist who went missing in the Arizona desert two months ago.
Daniel Robinson, 24, was last seen on June 23, leaving his worksite in the suburbs west of Phoenix, according to The Arizona Republic.
Robinson reportedly left work in a blue Jeep Renegade that morning and did not tell anyone where he was going.
His Jeep was found a month later rolled over into a ravine with the airbags deployed. Robinson’s cellphone, wallet and keys were found at the scene, according to the article.
His family began an online petition to hold local investigators at the Buckeye Police Department accountable two weeks ago. By Tuesday evening, the petition had collected 15,000 signatures.
“From the first day that I arrived in Phoenix, Arizona, I have done more to find my son than the law enforcement agency, whose jurisdictional authority covers where he was last seen and where his vehicle was recovered,” father David Robinson wrote.
Robinson wrote that he has led six searches in the desert, and claimed a private investigator told him the Jeep crash may have been staged, and the vehicle was driven after the impact.
“My public searches are coming to their completion, and the Buckeye Police Department has a responsibility to continue. This petition will ensure that this happens.”
On Thursday, the department issued a statement reading, “Buckeye Police continue to analyze evidence and explore leads.”
Investigators said a human skull recovered near the crash site did not belong to Robinson, and other recovered bones nearby were found to belong to animals.
On Sunday, a tweet that reminded the public of his case went viral after authorities announced that they discovered what were later confirmed to be Petito’s remains in a Wyoming national park.
“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,” Shayla Davis wrote. “His father is still looking for him.”
More than one thousand people have donated $50,000 to an online fundraiser sponsored by David Robinson.
“Daniel has an innate passion for adventure and is known to travel [at] inopportune moments. However, he always communicates with friends and family about his travel plans,” the site read.
The field geologist is 5″8′ and does not have a right forearm or hand, the fundraiser said.
There are about 17,000 unsolved active missing persons cases in the US, according to World Population Review.
