In a significant turn of events in a heartrending cold case from South Florida, the FBI has arrested a man in connection with the 2016 disappearance of a woman and her daughter. Liliana Moreno, 41, and her 8-year-old daughter, Daniela, have been missing without a trace since May 30, 2016, last seen near a Home Depot on Okeechobee Road in Hialeah.
The child’s father, Gustavo Castaño, has long been a figure entangled in suspicion and was taken into custody early this week. Haunted by questions for years, Eduardo Moreno, the missing woman's brother, said in a statement obtained by Local 10 News, “It has been eight years and we haven’t heard anything from them, so it was really, really shocking and unbelievable.”
Details from the investigation indicate that Castaño held concealed his child's paternity from his own wife and family, providing detectives with information that he had dropped Liliana and Daniela off near the Home Depot all those years ago—a claim that has been met with skepticism from concerned family members. NBC6 adds that the FBI notified Eduardo Moreno yesterday about Castaño's arrest.
A federal grand jury has since indicted Castaño on two counts of kidnapping resulting in death. As Eduardo Moreno seeks closure, he told Local 10 News, “It’s the beginning to know what happened to them and know where the location of them.” Determined to find answers and awaiting the much-anticipated court appearance scheduled later this week, Moreno longs to discover the actual whereabouts of his sister and niece, affirming, “I don’t think her story just ended that same day.”
Since the day Liliana and Daniela vanished, the search has never ceased. Loved ones and law enforcement have kept the case from going quiet. Vigils have been held annually; the FBI even offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to their location.
