The human remains discovered in a remote desert area near Buckeye were identified as 35-year-old Juan Fierro, according to the Buckeye Police Department.
Fierro's remains were found by someone who was off-roading on Jan. 7 near Johnson Road and Southern Avenue. The remains, which included a skull and other bones, were turned over to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office for forensic examination and identification following the discovery, police said.
The discovery caused many to speculate if the remains might belong to missing 25-year-old geologist Daniel Robinson, who was last seen in June 2021 leaving his worksite in the rural buckeye desert.
After two days of speculation, Robinson's father said in a Jan. 9 tweet that the remains did not belong to his son, citing the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's office and the Buckeye Police Department.
No other information was released. Buckeye police said the investigation into Fierro's death remained ongoing.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Police identify human remains found near Buckeye
