Here Is Everything We Know About Lauren Cho And Daniel Robinson — Two Missing Person Cases Brought To Light By The Disappearance Of Gabby Petito
Throughout the last few weeks, the name and story of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old #VanLife influencer who went missing while traveling with her fiancé, has drawn nationwide attention.
As Gabby's family awaits further news, many across the country hope the wide-ranging interest showed in this case can continue its tempo and help lead to the finding of other missing persons — especially people of color who are reported missing at disproportionate rates and receive less media coverage. Two names in particular have been urged forward by the public: Lauren Cho and Daniel Robinson.
Here's what we know about 30-year-old Lauren Cho:
I don’t know much about her case, but let’s get the same energy going to help locate #LaurenCho as we did for #GabbyPetito
Lauren Cho, known by her friends as "El," was living on a converted bus in Morongo Valley with her friend and former partner, Cody Orell, when she reportedly went missing on June 28, 2021.
According to the local Yucca Valley paper High-Desert Star, Lauren was previously dissatisfied with her job as a music teacher and, seeking a new start, quit her job and joined Orell on his cross-country trip from New Jersey to Bombay Beach in California, where she planned on opening a food truck. Later in their travels, though, the two were invited to stay with a friend in Yucca Valley, and Lauren soon became a private chef for her friend's Airbnb there.
Orell was the last known person to see Lauren near the Hoopa Road and Ben Mar Trail around 3 p.m., when Orell says he stepped onto the bus and Lauren walked away, upset. Why she was upset remains unclear.
Around 5:13 p.m., the sheriff's office received a call from Orell, who said Lauren had not returned and neither he nor their friends could find her. He also mentioned that Lauren had not taken her phone, food, or water with her.
With no traces of Lauren found, Orell assumes she got into someone's car and left. “On Sunday, she was going out to meet someone and wasn’t saying who. I didn’t pry into it then, but of course now I wish…,” Orell told the High-Desert Star.
Most recently, a team of investigators specializing in homicide and suspicious deaths have joined the search for Lauren, and anyone who has a tip is encouraged to contact detective Edward Hernandez or sergeant Justin Giles in the Specialized Investigations Division at (909) 387-3589. Or you can provide an anonymous tip through the We-Tip hotline at 800-78-CRIME (27463).
Meanwhile, a Facebook group dedicated to finding Lauren has been posting updates on the investigation and asking anyone with information to step forward.
Here's what we know about 24-year-old Daniel Robinson:
I'm shaking reading about the discovery of Gabby Petito's body in Wyoming. While we're watching this case unfold, please take 5 seconds to read about Daniel Robinson, a geologist who went missing in the desert outside Buckeye three months ago. His father is still looking for him.
Field geologist Daniel Robinson was last seen leaving his job site near Sun Valley Parkway and Cactus Road in Buckeye, Arizona around 9:15 a.m. on June 23, 2021.
According to a press release from the Buckeye Police Department, they searched for Daniel throughout 70 square miles with the use of a drone, helicopter, and cadaver dogs. Then, on July 19, a nearby landowner reported sighting Daniel's blue Jeep Renegade in a ravine four miles from his job site.
Update on search for Daniel Robinson.
In another press release, officials stated, "The airbags in the Jeep deployed and initial evidence indicates Daniel was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. ... Detectives conducted a ground search by foot with the assistance of the Department of Public Safety's Ranger helicopter...however, the search for Daniel came up empty."
Update on the search for missing person, Daniel Robinson.
Daniel's family has since hired a private investigator, Jeff McGrath, to look into his disappearance. In an interview, McGrath said, "Immediately when I saw the vehicle, I knew something wasn't right with it. The damage didn't match the terrain and where it was laying."
After running an analysis on the Jeep, McGrath concluded that, "After the airbags came out, somebody turned that ignition over at least 46 more times. That's not normal," he said. "[And] there was an additional 11 miles on the car since the airbags deployed, so that tells me the car was driven around after it crashed."
The crash appears to have occurred around 1 p.m. on the day Daniel went missing, meaning there is a four-hour gap between the last known sighting of the 24-year-old and when he crashed.
"By looking at the photographs, [the damage] doesn't match the area. Sometimes those can be a staged event, and this looked like a staged event to me," McGrath said.
