Gabby Petito’s family joins search for missing Arizona geologist Daniel Robinson
BUCKEYE, AZ (AZFamily) — A new search for the missing geologist in the Arizona desert has an important family stepping in to help.
Saturday morning marks the 50th search for Daniel Robinson, but this one comes based on new information in the investigation.
His case has touched the family of Gabby Petito, who knows all too well what searching for a missing child is like, and now, the two families are teaming up this weekend.
“Nobody understands probably more than your family what it’s like to have a missing child. What got you involved in Daniel’s case?” true crime correspondent Briana Whitney asked Joe Petito.
“I had heard some stories about Daniel’s case almost four years ago,” said Petito. “I saw this one come up and I’m like, I’m gonna be there, David. No matter what.”
Joe Petito is Gabby Petito’s dad. Gabby disappeared in 2021 on a cross-country vlogging road trip with her fiancé and was found dead weeks later. Her fiancé took his own life after confessing to killing her.
When Gabby went missing, Daniel Robinson had only been missing for a few months. He was last seen leaving a work site in June 2021, and his Jeep was found crashed weeks later.
David Robinson has led countless searches and social media campaigns for his son, but Daniel still hasn’t been found.
“I was in the storage unit just before I came here to let things go. I had to do it before, and it’s always that thing of not knowing what to keep and what to let go,” Robinson said with a heavy heart.
There is newfound hope after new leads, though.
Robinson said the location of Saturday morning’s search is based on new leads from a witness who says they saw Daniel walk out of the ravine. Now, the Buckeye Police Department is conducting forensic testing on all of Daniel’s belongings, something Robinson has wanted for years.
“So, we did a custody change yesterday. They took possession of everything and they’re doing a full workup to see if we can come up with new leads in Daniel’s case,” said Robinson.
The Petito family has visited Arizona many times in the last six months as they expand their advocacy efforts for missing person cases. They hope everyone gets the same spotlight Gabby did.
“When it comes to Daniel’s story – Emily Pike, Chelsea Grimm. There’s a lot of stories out here. The MMIW, the MMIP, there’s so much when it comes to missing people we can do, and that’s why we’ve been out here,” said Petito.
“What does that mean for you from one father to another?” Whitney asked Robinson about Petito being here.
“That’s exactly what it is. We didn’t ask to be a part of the family, this thing happened to both our families, so I know Mr. Petito, Joseph, he knows exactly what I’m feeling. At the time when you have a missing loved one, I can say it means a lot to me,” said Robinson.
Volunteers are wanted for Saturday’s search for Daniel. The meetup is set for 6:45 a.m. at the intersection of Sun Valley Parkway and Rosewood Avenue in Buckeye.
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