FBI makes arrest in Doral mother and daughter’s 2016 disappearance
Oct 29, 2024
The FBI has made an arrest in connection with the 2016 disappearance of a Doral mother and her young daughter, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is expected to release more details, including information on the suspect’s initial court appearance.
The case, which captured national attention, began on May 30, 2016, when Liliana Moreno and her 9-year-old daughter, Daniela, went missing after last being seen near a Home Depot in Hialeah Gardens.
Moreno’s family has since made repeated pleas for answers, urging the public to come forward with any information.
“Last time we spoke with her, with my sister and niece, was May 30, it was Memorial Day,” said Eduardo Moreno, Liliana’s brother, back in 2021.
Authorities named Daniela’s father, Gustavo Castaño, a person of interest early in the investigation.
According to Castaño, he told family members that he had a fight with Moreno and her daughter, and kicked both of them out of his car along the Turnpike on Okeechobee Road.
Police then suspected foul play in the mother and daughter’s disappearance and named Castaño a person of interest after they found him stabbing himself at a Hialeah Gardens parking lot.
During a police confrontation, he lost an eye after he was tased.
Days after their disappearance, investigators pulled evidence from a warehouse Castaño used but they didn’t charge him or anyone else until this recent arrest.
The suspect who was arrested is expected to appear in federal court at 1 p.m. on Tuesday.
A reward of up to $25,000 remains available for information leading to the whereabouts of Moreno and her daughter.