Missing
Daniel Gilchrist
Gilchrist, approximately 2018
Date and time person was reported missing : 12/18/2018
Missing location (approx) :
Moss Beach, California
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Male
Ethnicity :
White
DOB : 02/06/1999 (22)
Age at the time of disappearance: 19 years old
Height / Weight : 5'9, 145 pounds
Description, clothing, jewerly and more : A heavy dark-colored snow jacket, blue jeans and dark-colored boots.
Medical conditions : Gilchrist suffered from depression at the time of his disappearance and may have been suicidal.
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Caucasian male. Brown hair, brown eyes. Gilchrist wears eyeglasses. He was born in Ukraine and was adopted as an infant by his American parents.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Gilchrist was last seen at his father's home in Moss Beach, California on December 18, 2018. He was visiting his father for Christmas break after his first semester at Purdue University in Indiana. At 8:00 p.m., he told his father he was going to visit a friend in Pacifica, California.
Gilchrist never arrived at his friend's house. In fact, she wasn't even home; she was away at college in Chicago, Illinois. The last time his cellular phone pinged was at 1:40 a.m. on December 19; the ping was from the driveway area. Since then either the phone was turned off or the battery died. His car was found in his father's driveway, with the key ring on the car antenna; there were about twenty miles on the odometer that haven't been accounted for.
In February 2018, ten months prior to his disappearance, Gilchrist's mother died of ovarian cancer. He was a senior at Alma Heights Christian Academy at the time; he had also attended St. John's Orthodox Academy, a Russian Orthodox school in San Francisco. Prior to his disappearance, he seemed troubled and his father believed he was suicidal and insisted he get counseling. Gilchrist claimed he had been to see a counselor.
Since Gilchrist went missing, there has been no activity on his credit card. The last search entry he put into his computer was "Devil's Slide." The Devil's Slide is a steep, rocky coastal cliff between Pacifica and Montara, California. He also left a note for his father saying he was interested in becoming a vagabond and escaping from society to be alone.
There is no evidence of foul play in Gilchrist's case, but his father fears he may be dead. His case remains unsolved.
Other information and links : ncy
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office
650-363-4525
September 2021 updates and sources
California Attorney General's Office
The Half Moon Bay Review
Our Lady of Kazan Russian Orthodox Church
October 12, 2004. December 30, 2019; .
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
