HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. (WSVN) – Investigators may have narrowed down their search for a mother and her 9-year-old daughter who went missing, Tuesday, to an area between Medley and Hialeah Gardens.
Thursday evening, police gathered information that led them to believe that the girl’s father, Gustavo Castaño, could be planning to harm himself.
Detectives were sent to the area behind a Home Depot located off of Okeechobee Road and Northwest 138th Street where they found Castaño sitting inside a Home Depot marked vehicle. “We’re learning now that he showed a sharp object, it ended up being a box cutter,” said Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta. “He threatened to harm himself to the officers as they were approaching by placing the box cutter in the area of his neck.”
Castaño sustained self-inflicted wounds. He was taken to Kendall Regional Medical Center where he is listed in stable condition. Police said that he is also cooperating with investigators.
Heavy police presence behind Home Depot in #HialeahGardens. Doral PD & @MiamiDadePD here. Searching lake. pic.twitter.com/ixJW9eofJO
— Alex de Armas (@alexdearmaswsvn) June 3, 2016
Friday morning, law enforcement officials from Hialeah Gardens Police, Miami-Dade Police, Doral Police and the Miami-Dade Water Recovery Team could be seen scattered throughout the parking lot and near a lake behind a Home Depot.
It is not confirmed if the heavy police presence signifies that have found, or are close to finding, the missing mother and daughter.
Family members flew in from Colombia after they received news that they were missing. On Friday, they arrived at the scene near the Home Depot to speak to the press in hopes of finding their beloved sister and niece. Moreno’s brother Eduardo Moreno said, “Please help us, we need to find her. Call the police, say what you see. I need more information and more help. Everything can help us.”
As of Friday, investigators have searched a warehouse in Medley, a nearby canal, the lake behind the Home Depot, as well as Moreno’s home, located at the Doral Terrace apartment complex, near 107th Avenue and Northwest 50th Street. However, by 5 p.m. Friday, the search had been called off for the day.
Investigators said Moreno’s home showed signs of a quick departure. They found the mother’s purse, which contained her wallet and license. “She had left behind her wallet with her driver’s license,” said Doral Police Captain Carlos Arango, “and other small details in the apartment that seemed to suggest that she left the apartment in a big hurry.”
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Thursday, dozens of people gathered in Doral to hand out fliers and put up posters. Friday, they gathered around the lake as police searched for clues. “Please help us, so we can find my sister and my niece Daniela since today marks five days from their disappearance, and time doesn’t help us,” said Yamileth Moreno Ramirez, through a translator.
On Wednesday, investigators spent hours searching the warehouse in Medley, also not too far from here, where the girl’s father stored some of his work material, said police. At this warehouse, police hauled away a dumpster, which was covered with a blue plastic tarp and several additional bags.
Police have yet to say what they found inside the dumpster. “We’re going to look, and we’re going to turn over every single rock,” said Zabaleta. “A minute that goes by is an eternity for the family. There’s 2.7 million people in this county, as I mentioned before, and we need to have every single person in this county in the search.”
If you have any information to help in the search, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a cash reward.
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