AZ AZ - Daniel Robinson, 24, remote job site, Buckeye, 23 Jun 2021 #2

[Skyblueday32]

So is the theory leaning more towards self harm? Was there any history of depression or mental health issues in his past that we know of? My thoughts go to John Nash, (depicted in the movie a Beautiful Mind) was so in his illness with schizophrenia, he felt he was being followed etc and was having extreme paranoia.

 

[Bluedreamer]

So is the theory leaning more towards self harm? Was there any history of depression or mental health issues in his past that we know of? My thoughts go to John Nash, (depicted in the movie a Beautiful Mind) was so in his illness with schizophrenia, he felt he was being followed etc and was having extreme paranoia.

No, my theory is foul play. No reason for Daniel to crash once by the ravine, leave his phone on the ground, then drive 11 miles before crashing into the ravine itself, picking his phone off the ground, placing it back inside before he took his clothes off and walked off naked.

I think the data proves the Jeep was staged, it makes no sense, even for someone mentally ill, to go through those steps i have outlined above.

All of that above makes sense in a foul play context though. Bringing the Jeep back to the scene of the original accident so the data would line up.

It also means it doesn't matter if the Jeep was staged that day or days before it was found like some witnesses attest to.

 

[Skyblueday32]

Ok, so if the theory is he was attacked, then staged, why? My only thoughts would be drugs/drug deal gone wrong, or he stumbled on something illegal at work. Either way, where is his body? Someone would have to know the area and kind of have a plan, Daniel was working that day, he would be missed. The whole scenario doesn't play out as a planned targeted event IMO.

 

[Bluedreamer]

Ok, so if the theory is he was attacked, then staged, why? My only thoughts would be drugs/drug deal gone wrong, or he stumbled on something illegal at work. Either way, where is his body? Someone would have to know the area and kind of have a plan, Daniel was working that day, he would be missed. The whole scenario doesn't play out as a planned targeted event IMO.

I think the motive could be tied to his work. That’s still a theory, but it’s the one that makes the most sense. There were already serious issues on Matrix New World’s projects, including a worker who died on a site in December 2020, where Matrix was later named as a defendant-

Man dies after becoming entangled in drill rig in Hidden Valley

MARICOPA — A man operating a drill rig in Hidden Valley suffered fatal injuries on Tuesday evening after he became entangled in machinery.

www.pinalcentral.com

But if I had to pick one thing, it would be the Verrado well.

Daniel had been testing that well multiple times leading up to his disappearance, including the morning he went missing. Within minutes of arriving, he photographed the well logs and got on an 8 plus minute call with the head of Matrix’s Arizona office. That’s a long conversation. Hours later, he was gone.

The day after he disappeared, the lithology logs for that well were finalized-

The Verrado well, on its own, only tested at about 19,000k, nowhere close to what you’d normally need for a high capacity municipal well.

But instead of relying on that data alone, older test results from 2006–2008 were pulled in from other wells nearby, when Buckeye was about 1/3rd of its 2021 population. Those older tests were done by Southwest Groundwater, which was Stephen Noel’s former company before it merged into Matrix. When those older numbers were averaged together with the 19k, the combined output suddenly jumped to over 40,000k-

The problem is that the well probably shouldn’t have been approved, especially with the Buckeye Water Model being finalized at that exact same time in June 2021. That model, once it was finally released in 2023, essentially shut down new groundwater extraction. So anything approved right before that window closed would end up being extremely valuable.

Once that model became public in 2023, Buckeye immediately spent $80 million on a 5,926 a/ft water acquisition. That places the Verrado well’s value(2,000+ a/ft) at around 20-30 million dollars. If Daniel wasn’t willing to sign off on that well initially, he would’ve been a direct threat, not just to that well, but to any development he works on before 2023.

That’s why the Verrado well is at the top of my list, but i could be wrong 100%.

 

[Jazzy5980]

A few more thoughts:

From the police report, we objectively know:

• he was lonely and was recently rejected by a woman he appeared mildly obsessed with (should be a familiar situation for many men reading this).
• He mentions being depressed when at the bar with his friend from NY.
• He surprises his close work friend/former roommate with spiritual questions when at Chick-fil-a.
• He doesn’t specify he wants spicy chicken nuggets to his friend at Chick-fil-a (big red flag to this humble commenter)
• Various things his sister said
• Strange behavior and suddenly leaving job site on last day (was only there 15 minutes)
• His last google searches were clearly related to the spiral he was in.
• Probably other things I’m missing

Subjective possible inferences from police report

• He saw the podcast recommendation as a sign that this woman was into him. It had an uplifting message (the podcast that is) and his subsequent rejection by the person who gave it to him caused him to spiral/feel unworthy.
• The report doesn’t give much insight into how he felt about his job. Most likely he felt similar to a lot of us: there were things he liked and didn’t like.
• His job and its location did provide him a lot of time alone or mostly alone in very desolate places. Over time, this could have impacted someone like him.
• The girl who rejected him essentially said they initially let him in the house because he had one hand and was short and therefore harmless (kinda mean thing to say). If she thought this way, maybe other women had historically responded this way too. We don’t know his romantic history with women or lack thereof (nor should we). His height, lack of limb and perhaps even ethnicity could have made him insecure, leading down the path it did.
• He clearly was a very smart guy by all accounts. Statistically this a notable factor.

I could go on and on. The report definitely gives more examples than I have here.

Based on my experience anyone who becomes obsessed with another person, after only minimal contact, is unstable. A man walked into my office when I was employed by the US House of Representatives. I answered his questions and offered him a cup of coffee and some candy another constituent had delivered. Thus began a 10 month nightmare of continual calls, him showing up at the office in the evening, etc. During the hearing to commit him to the state mental hospital he advised the judge he felt compelled to maintain continual contact with me because “she gave me the sweets.”

 

[Bluedreamer]

Based on my experience anyone who becomes obsessed with another person, after only minimal contact, is unstable. A man walked into my office when I was employed by the US House of Representatives. I answered his questions and offered him a cup of coffee and some candy another constituent had delivered. Thus began a 10 month nightmare of continual calls, him showing up at the office in the evening, etc. During the hearing to commit him to the state mental hospital he advised the judge he felt compelled to maintain continual contact with me because “she gave me the sweets.”

Sounds like that new show on Netflix that depicts the Garfield assassination, you should check it out!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31121364/

 

[Skyblueday32]

Well murder for millions is a good motive, but why throw the clothes around? I recall another person, Jason Landry who was also featured on the show Disappeared, his body has also not been found. He crashed his car on a back rural road, the police located the car, his clothes were also strewn all over the road nearby he car. He was also struggling with some mental health issues and was smoking pot. I don't understand stripping after a car accident, but this is the 2nd time if both men were conscious and did that on their own.

Also, they were able to find tire tracks, no shoe or footprints?

 

[Jazzy5980]

Sounds like that new show on Netflix that depicts the Garfield assassination, you should check it out!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31121364/

Thanks for the suggestion! It was a horrifying experience; I should never have allowed it to go on as long as it did.

 

[cenazoic]

A modern vehicle will only log an ignition attempt when the brake is pressed and the transmission is in Park or sometimes Neutral…. the fact that the logs show dozens of actual ignition attempts after a crash event means the Jeep had to be upright, accessible, and in park.

And it means someone was in the driver’s seat, pressing the brake.

Actually, thinking more on this, there’s no condition specifically stating that the Jeep must be ‘upright’, is there?

it’s physically improbable for someone (especially a one handed Daniel) to sit in the driver's seat, hold the brake, shift to Park or Neutral, and attempt to start it 40+ times.

Difficult for anyone if it’s on it’s side, sure. In re: Daniel in particular, why more difficult? It only takes one hand (the same hand) to change gears, then push start. The brake requires a foot.

Although that makes me wonder: do we know if his Jeep had any adaptive tech added to compensate for his missing arm?

the MILE IQ didn't record that trip, meaning Daniel's phone may have been left behind during that trip.

Or it could have just been disabled:

https://support.mileiq.com/hc/en-us/articles/203798489-How-to-pause-automatic-drive-detection

Is it possible someone started the Jeep and got it up to some lowish speed, then jumped out before it headed over the rim of the ravine? I feel like we’re all assuming that either a) someone was in it when it ended up there, or b) it was ‘placed’ there, but maybe there’s other ways it could have ended up there, left in Drive. Just spitballing.

Was there any gas left in the tank?

Great work as always, @Bluedreamer !

 

[Centaurus]

Well murder for millions is a good motive, but why throw the clothes around? I recall another person, Jason Landry who was also featured on the show Disappeared, his body has also not been found. He crashed his car on a back rural road, the police located the car, his clothes were also strewn all over the road nearby he car. He was also struggling with some mental health issues and was smoking pot. I don't understand stripping after a car accident, but this is the 2nd time if both men were conscious and did that on their own.

Also, they were able to find tire tracks, no shoe or footprints?

In the Landry case, it’s called paradoxical undressing.

"Paradoxical undressing" in fatal hypothermia - PubMed

The phenomenon called paradoxical undressing has been described from 33 cases of hypothermia collected from Swedish police reports. The cases were almost evenly distributed with regard to sex, age, and geographical distribution. The cases occurred more frequently in open land although cases from...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Bluedreamer]

Well murder for millions is a good motive, but why throw the clothes around? I recall another person, Jason Landry who was also featured on the show Disappeared, his body has also not been found. He crashed his car on a back rural road, the police located the car, his clothes were also strewn all over the road nearby he car. He was also struggling with some mental health issues and was smoking pot. I don't understand stripping after a car accident, but this is the 2nd time if both men were conscious and did that on their own.

Also, they were able to find tire tracks, no shoe or footprints?

No shoe prints or footprints were found anywhere near Daniel’s Jeep, just the tire tracks going into the ravine. In my opinion, those tracks also don't line up with the jeep rolling over in the ravine, just rolling down it and tipping on its side. And in Landry’s case, his clothes were scattered around too, which a lot of people chalked up to him being mentally unwell (I haven’t really dug into his story enough to judge that myself).

So if someone did harm Daniel, throwing his clothes around the scene would instantly mimic that same “confused, mentally unstable wandering” narrative. I should also mention that David doesn't recognize those clothes on the ground and almost every single photo of Daniel has him wearing more professional attire than Jeans and a Joker shirt to work. Police never tested the clothing either, they released them to David on June 22, 2021, 2 days after finding the vehicle.

 

[Bluedreamer]

There’s nothing that literally says the Jeep must be upright, but multiple people, including the PI, have pointed out that starting an engine while the vehicle is on its side isn’t realistic (video of that is in one of my recent posts). Fuel pickup, oil distribution, and even basic sensor readings work against it. The PI even tested this scenario and said it wouldn’t run in that position.

The Jeep didn't have any mechanical features added to help Daniel's disability.

So the idea that Daniel, while one handed, somehow attempted to start the Jeep 40+ times on its side before getting it restarted at 12:54 p.m. is basically impossible. After a crash, the Renegade requires a very specific restart sequence, gear in park or sometimes neutral(not sure with Renegade), and the ignition cycled the correct way within 60 seconds. That’s already tough for anyone in normal conditions. Daniel’s missing his right hand, the one that would normally manage the ignition while going through the complicated sequence to restart at the same time. And if you think Daniel is mentally unwell or injured, this would be some feat to accomplish.

(I also want to note that Daniel's manual was found outside the glove box and the glove box was closed when they found the jeep)

The Jeep was likely upright and being operated by someone physically sitting in the driver’s seat long after the first crash, not trapped sideways in that ravine. That could have been Daniel, but I think the MILE IQ shows it wasn't.

Someone definitely could have disabled the MILE IQ before the 11 mile trip. I don't know why Daniel would do that, taking the time to do all these little things that hide where he could have gone before ending up in the exact same spot. (Even his google maps history was gone according to David)

That would make sense though if something happened to Daniel, disabled the MILE IQ or left the phone in the ravine while they drove 11 miles to get rid of Daniel, bringing it back so the data lines up.

The jeep really could have been there the entire time, i don't think it was, but it's possible. I don't think that matters though to prove the Jeep was staged, either that same day or days before it was found it was still brought back to the scene of the first accident.

Is it possible someone started the Jeep and got it up to some lowish speed, then jumped out before it headed over the rim of the ravine? I feel like we’re all assuming that either a) someone was in it when it ended up there, or b) it was ‘placed’ there, but maybe there’s other ways it could have ended up there, left in Drive. Just spitballing.

This is what I think likely happened, nobody was in that Jeep when it went into the ravine and tipped on its side.

 

[Skyblueday32]

Really great details! So were the clothes saved as evidence? Was the Jeep dusted for fingerprints or any other forensics?

I agree the jeep does seem to be staged and no one was probably in it, I guess someone could have gone down and thrown clothes around to stage the scene, but if this is all the case it seems very well planned and executed, not a mistake trying to be covered up.

Bluedreamer, hoping to finish your video today!

 

[Bluedreamer]

Really great details! So were the clothes saved as evidence? Was the Jeep dusted for fingerprints or any other forensics?

I agree the jeep does seem to be staged and no one was probably in it, I guess someone could have gone down and thrown clothes around to stage the scene, but if this is all the case it seems very well planned and executed, not a mistake trying to be covered up.

Bluedreamer, hoping to finish your video today!

They were saved in evidence bags but marked for safekeeping. I'll link a video where the PI goes through them and you can see what they look like up close. The clothes were given to David after a meeting on July 22nd, a few days after they found the vehicle. As of 2025 I think Buckeye took the clothes and the Jeep back from David, saying they were investigating again with a new detective.

Missing geologist 'was obsessed with a woman he barely knew'

Missing geologist Daniel Robinson was obsessed with a woman he barely knew and disappeared just hours after sending her a desperate final text message, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.

www.dailymail.co.uk

(2:30 TIMESTAMP)

According to the police report, the Jeep was dusted for fingerprints on July 22nd and according to David they only did that after he demanded they do during a meeting that same day. When David asked why they didn't do any on scene, they said because they didn't see any blood on scene.

 

[Bluedreamer]

Hey everyone, Happy Thanksgiving!

Over the weekend I finally made it up to the ravine where Daniel's Jeep was found. I'm going to share some photos i took and my opinion on a few things i saw and tried, but most of this is just anecdotal and the area around the ravine has changed in the last 4 years, so keep that in mind. All of this stuff is opinion and theory only.


First, the vehicle i took-

I tried multiple routes to get to the ravine, from the east and the west and a few others. It was not an easy climb, i got stuck once going up the same area Daniel would have had to go when he left the quarry, and when Daniel did it there was no road, when i did there was, again this is 4 years later.

Here is a picture of the ravine-

When people say the ravine is steeper than it looks, they aren't kidding. you can't even see the bottom of it standing up on top of the hill like this, I don't even know if you'd see the Jeep if it was in this picture. If you aren't athletic then you will be on your hands pulling yourself up it, like my nephew was.

There are 2 practical ways to enter the ravine from either the west or the east, remember when Daniel's Jeep was up here, there were no roads like in these photos.

West(route the tracks support)-

East-

I attempted to drive as fast i could on each of these routes and a few others towards the ravine, angling around it right by where that CAIRN is in the 3rd photo. On both I wasn't able to get up above 23 mph, with a good running start.

This supports the data I've shared about the first crash being somewhere else and PI Jeff McGrath saying he couldn't reach 30mph into the ravine either. Buckeye PD said maybe Jeff didn't take the route Daniel did, I tried every route I could and couldn't get to that speed.

Also keep in mind that the route I took and the roads I drove on didn't exist when Daniel disappeared, the bumps leading up to the ravine from any side would be a huge problem for that Jeep Renegade to handle at 30mph.

He would have had to been driving through this and he would have to get or keep his speed up during it-

I drove through this and used the roads as a running start, along with other routes-

A few others things caught my attention.

From the top of the ravine you can see power lines in multiple directions, the White Tank Mountains and a few buildings on the other side of Sun Valley Parkway.

While i still believe it was probably staged in that ravine at a later date, the area really is hard to search and wouldn't necessarily be completely visible from the air. I actually think the rancher saying he is there, in or close enough to that ravine to see it every day or every week is a stretch, it's not an easy place to get into, which leads me to my next point.

I don't think Daniel just randomly off roads his car up this hill, somehow gets it to 30mph before the ravine, and then crashes into it, especially without roads. Also, at 30mph I don't think, when you account for the steepness of the ravine, that the car would have rolled down it at all, it would have launched itself and landed in the ravine, leaving no tracks like there were when they found it and it would have caused a lot more front end damage. Jeff McGrath, in a press conference, said the vehicle didn't go down the ravine and roll over, it merely rolled down the hill and tipped on its side. When you see the ravine up close, that conclusion makes a lot more sense.

When you actually see the ravine up close, it really does look like a dump site, a hard to reach place, probably one of the more difficult ones around that area.

Anyways, It was a good trip, a lot of where Daniel was out there has actually been paved over and they have some model houses up as well-

Edit- I forgot to mention, it was raining in that area before and during Daniels supposed trip up the hill and into the ravine. I don't know if i could have made it up there in the rain, i know i couldn't have even gotten to 23mph though.

 

[Skyblueday32]

If it was hard to get there, how was it staged there? Towed? Could a tow truck make that hauling another vehicle?

So puzzling for sure!