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Detroit man still missing 13 years after Dearborn Heights police arrest someone else driving his car

The driver was arrested and vehicle was impounded

David Earl Robinson (NamUs)

DETROIT – Another man was caught and arrested while driving his car, but 13 years later David Robinson is still missing.

David Earl Robinson, also known as “Dave,” was last seen in Detroit on Jan. 3, 2010. He visited his mother’s house to ask about his aunt’s upcoming funeral. He left her home after 9 p.m. and went to his cousin’s house. He stayed for a short while, but never returned to his mother’s house.

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Dearborn Heights police located his vehicle after he was reported missing. Another man was driving Robinson’s blue 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis with license plate number BZA9717. The driver was arrested and the vehicle was impounded by police.

Robinson was 38 years old at the time of his disappearance. He had brown eyes and is described as being 6′1′' and weighing 210 pounds. He had brown hair that was styled short with a tapered haircut and a very short beard and mustache that he kept closely-shaven.

The night he vanished, he was wearing dark jeans, a Detroit Pistons jacket (black cloth jacket, embroidered with Pistons logo all over the surface in red/white/yellow/blue thread) and Maurrys brand black alligator shoes. Both of his ears were pierced and he wore diamond studs. He also wore a watch with a large face and a gold wedding band with a diamond set in the center.

His right hand is permanently closed into a slight fist and his right foot is permanently slightly clubbed, according to officials. He was paralyzed on his right side and walked with a limp. He could not put his right foot firmly on the ground.

Robinson has several identifying marks including a small scar above the outside corner of his left eye; a horseshoe-shaped scar, 3 to 4 inches long, along the left side of his head; a scar on the left side of his chest in front of his heart; a long scar along the medial side of his left forearm; and a scar along the underside of the back of his head.

Anyone with information should contact the Detroit Police Department at 313-596-1800. The case number is EDM024.


Read: Michigan cold case coverage


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About the Author
Kayla Clarke headshot

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.

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