WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - DORAL, Fla. (WSVN) – Loved ones came together to pray for a South Florida mother and her 9-year-old daughter, Tuesday evening, more than a week after they went missing.
Friends and family gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Doral on a rainy night for a vigil in honor of 43-year-old Liliana Moreno and her daughter, Daniela Moreno. “Tonight we come to pray for my sister and my niece,” said Eduardo Moreno, Liliana’s brother. “We hope that they come back soon.”
“That’s what we’re praying for tonight, for a miracle,” said a male parishioner.
“It’s going to end up that more people will come out and support this family,” said one woman.
The vigil took place hours after, Miami-Dade Police said, the second search in as many days, in West Miami-Dade, came up empty.
Tuesday afternoon, investigators searched a wooded area just minutes away from Dolphin Mall, along Northwest 127th Avenue and 25th Street. At around 4:30 p.m., undercover recovery teams searched a nearby lake. At least two boats were on the lake at one point. Meanwhile, K-9 units and their handlers searched around nearby buildings.
About an hour later, detectives ended the search and left the area.
Police said Liliana and Daniela have been missing since at least the beginning of last week. Family members began to worry when they stopped receiving phone calls from them.
Detectives continue to search for clues throughout South Florida. On Monday, Florida Fish and Wildlife officials, Miami-Dade Police officers and Florida Highway Patrol troopers searched for possible bodies between 177th Avenue and Southwest Eighth Street. The search went as far east as 137th Street.
That search of the wooded area came up empty and was canceled around 4 p.m., Monday.
Detectives investigated Daniela’s father, Gustavo Castaño, and whether or not he was involved in Liliana and Daniela’s disappearance. However, he is not being considered a suspect or person of interest at this time.
Speaking though his attorney, Michael Grieco, Castaño said he lost his right eye on Friday following a skirmish with Miami-Dade Police in front of a Home Depot in Hialeah Gardens. Investigators said Castaño had put a box cutter to his neck and was threatening to commit suicide.
Responding officers then fired a Taser. Grieco said one of the prongs went through his client’s eye.
Castaño is currently recovering at Kendall Regional Medical Center.
At Tuesday’s vigil, 7News cameras captured sets of mothers and daughters sitting together in a show of solidarity for the missing. “I came here to show my support, of course, because my children are at that age,” said one woman.
Family friend Aislinn Diaz said the uncertainty of not knowing what may have happened to Liliana and Daniela is devastating. “We can’t, we can’t, we can’t continue like this,” she said.
The search remains active.
If you have any information on Liliana and Daniela’s whereabouts, 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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