Family upset with police over missing Arizona man
Called on police to step up their game in missing person investigation
BUCKEYE, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY/CNN) - An Arizona family calls on the Buckeye Police Department (BPD) to ramp up search efforts after their son disappeared.
It's been three months since Daniel Robinson disappeared. According to police reports, the 24-year-old geologist vanished on his way home from work.
"It took me three months to look at my son's picture," expresses Melissa Edmonds, Robinson's mother. "Just seeing his car. It took three months to look at his car. You thought you felt pain, try looking for your child and not knowing where he is."
Robinson's father also claims the Buckey Police have had a lack of urgency, especially within the first 48 hours.
He, David Robinson, says, "I believe if they would've stepped up to the plate at the beginning I wouldn't be standing here now."
David leads weekly search parties, continuing to search for his son. Recently, he pressed police for a more thorough investigation, like fingerprinting Robinson's jeep which he last drove on Wednesday, June 23.
"I asked how can they be sure that my son was driving the vehicle without doing forensic work; the reply was that it was my son's vehicle. It's obvious he was driving," shares David.
Having lost faith in the BPD, David hired private investigator Jeff McGrath in July.
McGrath doesn't believe the crash data adds up, saying, "The detective told him the vehicle rolled down the ravine. I looked at the photo and said that vehicle never rolled. It got to the bottom and tipped on its side. That's all it did. So, I can't rule out foul play; so, I don't know how Buckeye can."
Buckey police confirm they're taking a second look at the crash data with an expert, but still don't suspect foul play.
The BPD's partial report released on Thursday reveals officers have followed up with leads, and Robinson's coworker claims he "wasn't making sense" the day he went missing.
In response to critiques of police not taking the investigation seriously because Robinson is black, the BPD says race is not a factor.
