Daniel Gilchrist was 19 and a freshman at Purdue University when he was last seen on December 18, 2018, at his father’s home in Moss Beach, California. He told his father around 8:00 p.m. that he was going to visit a friend in nearby Pacifica, but that friend was not in town and Daniel never arrived. His last known phone activity was about 1:40 a.m. the next morning near his father’s driveway.

Daniel’s car was left at the house with the keys placed on the vehicle’s antenna. His family says he had been struggling emotionally after his mother’s death from ovarian cancer earlier that year; his father thought Daniel might have been suicidal. Searches on his computer for Devil’s Slide and a note expressing a desire to disconnect and become a vagabond were also reported. No foul play has been confirmed and there have been no significant leads or verified sightings since his disappearance.

If anyone has information about Daniel’s whereabouts or remembers unusual activity near Moss Beach or Pacifica around December 18–19, 2018, please come forward.