DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - New details surrounding the 2016 disappearance of a Doral mother and her daughter have surfaced, Thursday morning.
According to the Moreno family, they claim they were told by Gustavo Castano, the father of the missing girl, 9-year-old Daniella, that he had a fight with both the child’s mother, 43-year-old Liliana Moreno, and the child. After the fight, the family said, Castano kicked both of them out of his car in the area of Okeechobee Road and the Florida Turnpike.
“Apparently, he said he dropped them off somewhere along the Turnpike and Okeechobee after an argument,” said family friend Claudia Mariaca at a press conference held at Miami-Dade Police Headquarters in Doral. “But that’s as much as they know.”
Distraught family members sat down with Miami-Dade Police investigators, as they made a tearful plea for the public to come forward with any information that could lead to answers about the current whereabouts of Moreno and her daughter, nearly one year after they went missing.
“We need to find them. We need to know where they are,” said Carolina Moreno Ramirez, Moreno’s sister, through a translator as she held back tears.
“This is not easy,” said Moreno’s brother, Eduardo Moreno. “This situation is really hard, so we need the community to help us to find them.”
Before these new details, police said, they had hit a roadblock trying to figure out what happened to the mother and daughter after their disappearance on May 31, 2016. “If there’s anyone out there that has any information they can provide to us, whether it be big or small, please call us,” said Miami-Dade Police Detective Chris Villano.
Miami-Dade Police have suspected foul play in this case after they were called to the Doral home by the missing mother’s sister, who lives in Colombia, when she was not able to get in touch with her. “We need to know what happened to my sister and my niece, and we need information about that,” said Moreno’s brother, Eduardo Ramirez.
When investigators searched Moreno’s Doral apartment, they found her purse and keys. The front door was also locked, and her car was in the driveway.
Police have named the little girl’s father, Gustavo Castano, a person of interest. In June, police found the dad stabbing himself in the throat inside a truck in the parking lot of a Hialeah Gardens Home Depot.
Castano would lose an eye after police used a Taser on him to try to stop him.
However, officials have yet to arrest or officially connect Castano to the disappearance.
For now, family members continue to remember the mother and daughter and hope that their message reaches the right person. “She’s amazing,” said Eduardo, “so, please help us, the community.”
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Liliana Moreno and her daughter, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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