Breckenridge – The search for a missing Breckenridge attorney took an ominous turn Wednesday when authorities revealed they obtained 10 search warrants in the case, suggesting police are investigating a crime.
Police are not elaborating on details of the search warrants, and Royal “Scoop” Daniel’s former girlfriend said friends fear he was abducted because he would not walk away willingly.
“He wouldn’t leave this community,” said Cheryl Love, a Breckenridge resident who ended a long-term relationship with Daniel more than a year ago. “He loves this community. His ego is this community.”
Daniel disappeared Friday about the time that the Summit County dispatch center received a 911 call from his cellphone that ended after nine seconds.
“It was silent, nothing,” said Crystal Dean, spokeswoman for the Breckenridge Police Department. “There was no noise in the background. The dispatch center called back, and the phone had been turned off.”
Hours later – after colleagues reported that Daniel uncharacteristically had missed a couple of appointments – authorities traced the call back to the general area of his law office.
Daniel was captured on a security camera entering the building early that morning but not departing. He had left behind his golden retriever, Ben, and authorities found a pair of broken sunglasses and a pen on his office floor.
Love, who started a website Wednesday to solicit anonymous tips, said the group of friends has consulted psychics to learn what happened.
“Everybody is hoping with bated breath that something is going to turn up soon,” she said. “You know that every hour that goes by is an exponential concern for his safety.
“No stone unturned – that’s not just my slogan; at this point, it’s adopted by the entire community.”
Police would not disclose the locations where the sealed search warrants were executed Wednesday, nor what they were seeking. They continue to receive a wide array of tips but no reported sightings of Daniel.
“It’s probably going to take awhile to solve. I don’t know how long awhile is,” Dean said. “It’s a big case.”
Daniel, who specializes in nonconfrontational real estate and immigration law, is highly regarded in the community, where he has been ensconced in church, cultural and civic activities. He is not known to have made any enemies or run into legal problems.
“If anyone could talk his way out of a problem, it would be Scoop,” said J.B. Katz, a former law partner.
In addition to efforts to get his story and photo out across the country, friends are participating in a ground search Sunday and continuing to hang fliers across Summit County.
“You’re physically trying to do everything you can,” Love said. “We’re at the end of the fifth day. You reach a point where you kind of reach a wall and wonder: ‘What else can you do?”‘
Staff writer Steve Lipsher can be reached at 970-513-9495 or slipsher@denverpost.com.
