Skeletal remains found in Arizona desert fuel speculation they may belong to missing geologist Daniel Robinson

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Skeletal remains found in a remote desert area of Buckeye, Arizona, have fueled speculation on social media that they might belong to Daniel Robinson, a young geologist who disappeared in the area back in 2021. 

“Someone off-roading in a remote desert area near Johnson Road and Southern discovered human skeletal remains including a skull and other bones. Investigators are currently processing the scene,” the Buckeye Police Department posted to its Facebook page on Saturday. 

The discovery of the remains has set off a firestorm of speculation that they might belong to Robinson, who disappeared in 2021 at the age of 24 after driving away from a desert geology site.

“Yesterday, a woman in Buckeye Arizona stumbled upon skeletonized human remains. She called police & posted a pic of the find on FB. Out of respect for deceased, I’ve covered the skull/vertebrae shown in her original photo. A shotgun shell is also shown in photo,” Lauren Lee Malloy, founder of Unsolved RI, which works to provide support for victims and families of cold cases in Rhode Island, posted to Twitter. 

MISSING ARIZONA GEOLOGIST DANIEL ROBINSON: A FATHER’S UNENDING SEARCH FOR HIS SON, ONE YEAR LATER

Daniel Robinson’s crashed 2017 Jeep Renegade, left; Daniel Robinson in this undated photo, right
(Buckeye Police Department)

“Many believe the remains are those of Daniel Robinson, who disappeared in 2021,” Malloy added in a follow-up tweet. 

Other sleuths and crime experts speculated on social media that the remains could belong to Robinson, but noted there has been no confirmation. 

MISSING ARIZONA GEOLOGIST: NEW DETAILS RELEASED IN DISAPPEARANCE OF DANIEL ROBINSON

Fox News Digital reached out to the Buckeye Police Department asking if there was any indication the remains belong to Robinson, and was told the only available information was a press release on the unidentified remains being discovered and that they were turned over to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office for forensic examination. 

MISSING ARIZONA GEOLOGIST: HUMAN REMAINS FOUND DURING SEARCH FOR DANIEL ROBINSON

Daniel Robinson in this undated photo provided by his father.
(David Robinson II)

Fox News Digital also reached out to the examiner’s office for updates but did not immediately receive a reply. 

It is not the first time skeletal remains were found near where Robinson disappeared, with volunteers searching for the young man in 2021 finding a vertebra, two femur bones and both sides of a pelvis.

Robinson was last seen on June 23, 2021, in Buckeye when he abruptly left a site in the desert where he was working as a hydrogeologist. On July 19 that same year, a rancher found Robinson’s 2017 Jeep Renegade battered and rolled onto its passenger side in a ravine. 

Buckeye is located about 30 miles west of downtown Phoenix. 

SEARCH FOR MISSING GEOLOGIST IN ARIZONA CONTINUES 3 MONTHS AFTER DISAPPEARANCE FROM DESERT JOB SITE

Daniel Robinson and his father, David Robinson, in this undated photo provided by the family.
(David Robinson II)

Robinson’s father, David Robinson, has remained steadfast in his search for his son. The dad and military veteran told Fox News Digital following the one-year anniversary of his son’s disappearance that he has “to stay strong for Daniel” and even moved from his home in South Carolina to Arizona to continue looking for him. 

“Just because I’m retired doesn’t mean I stopped being a soldier,” David, who served two tours in Afghanistan, told Fox last year. “My son, he’s my mission. He’s my new mission.” 

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Daniel Robinson Foundation for comment on the discovery of the unidentified remains, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.