Part of the reason this story is coming into the national spotlight three months after the young Black geologist went missing is because of a college reporter. A viral tweet posted by Shayla Davis seemed to point out the way missing white women garner much more public attention than when people of color go missing. Referred to "missing white woman syndrome," the idea has been recently illustrated in the real-life ongoing news coverage of the disappearance turned homicide of Gabby Petito.
Not only that, but Daniel's father went public with a Change.org petition to switch Daniel's case from a missing person to a criminal investigation. He says in the petition that Buckeye police have done "very little." According to the petition's description, he and those he's hired as well as those who have pitched in to help have done more than the police, even finding "about six" sets of human remains during their searches, none belonging to his son.
"It appears that the Buckeye Police Department lacks the training to effectively conduct searches for missing persons," David Robinson wrote.
Yet another part of this puzzle, according to News12 (via YouTube), is that Daniel was wrestling with mental health issues in the weeks ahead of his disappearance. Whatever happened to Daniel Robinson, his family is asking for help in locating him.
If anyone has any information that could possibly lead to finding Daniel Robinson, please visit pleasehelpfinddaniel.com. People can also call the Buckeye police nonemergency line at 623-349-6400.
