More than eight years after a Doral woman and her 8-year-old daughter vanished without a trace, the girl's father has been arrested by the FBI in connection with their disappearance.
Gustavo Castaño Restrepo was arrested for kidnapping resulting in death in the disappearance of Liliana Moreno, along with the disappearance of Castano and Moreno's daughter, Daniela, authorities announced Tuesday.
Restrepo, 55, made his first appearance in federal court Tuesday afternoon, but didn't have time to retain a private attorney so he'll be back in court Friday.
Restrepo's family was in the courtroom and he blew kisses at them. They did not want to speak to reporters, but when a woman in the group was asked if he was innocent, she nodded her head yes.
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Moreno and Daniela were last seen on May 30, 2016, in or near the Home Depot on Okeechobee Road in Hialeah. At the time of their disappearance, Moreno was 41 years old and Daniela was 8. They haven't been heard from since.
In a news release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said Restrepo is accused of kidnapping Moreno and that the kidnapping resulted in the deaths of Moreno and Daniela.
"Restrepo, did willfully and unlawfully seize, confine, inveigle, decoy, kidnap, abduct, and carry away and hold a person, that is, Liliana Moreno, for reward and otherwise, and did use a means, facility, and instrumentality of interstate commerce, that is, a cellular telephone, the internet, a motor vehicle, and the Homestead Extension of Florida's Turnpike, in the commission and in furtherance of the offense," the release read.
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FBI officials confirmed they made an arrest in connection with the disappearance of Moreno and her daughter, but gave no other details.
Liliana Moreno's brother, Eduardo Moreno, told NBC6 that the FBI had told him on Monday that Restrepo, Liliana's ex and Daniela's father, had been arrested.
"We were just like family waiting for one day maybe getting the information where my sister and my niece are located because that is our main goal, to know what happened with them, more than looking for a guilty person or somebody that has done something," Eduardo Moreno said Tuesday.
Liliana (r) and Daniela Moreno, a mother and daughter, went missing on 5/30/2016. FBI reward: $25K for information leading to their whereabouts. https://t.co/MdCGbZdcZ1 pic.twitter.com/09E9CfBlJW
— FBI Miami (@FBIMiamiFL) June 1, 2021
Following their disappearance, detectives who searched the Doral home of Moreno and her daughter and found a number of personal belongings and unfinished meal preparations, indicating that Moreno planned to return.
Detectives in 2021 said Restrepo went to pick up Moreno and her daughter, and the couple got into an argument. Restrepo told detectives he dropped the two off on Turnpike Avenue.
Investigators pointed to Restrepo as a person of interest in the case but previously lacked enough information to make an arrest. He was questioned by detectives but never charged.
Moreno's family said Restrepo kept his relationship with her and their child a secret from his own wife and kids at the time.
And a few days after the disappearance, police said they found a suicidal Restrepo in a parking lot with self-inflicted stab wounds. During a confrontation with police, Restrepo lost his right eye after an officer Used a Taser on him.
In 2021, on the five-year anniversary of the disappearance, the FBI announced a $25,000 reward in the case.
Family members who spoke with NBC6 in 2022 said they were holding out hope that Moreno and her daughter would be found safe.
"We pray we're still having hope to find them," Eduardo Moreno said at the time. "That is the last thing you can lose — the hope you can have them again."
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
