WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Authorities carried out a massive search in a wooded area of the Everglades, Monday afternoon, in connection to the disappearance of a mother and her daughter, but they did not find anything.
7Skyforce hovered above the area in West Miami-Dade as 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.
Investigators said Liliana Moreno and her 9-year-old daughter, Daniela Moreno, went missing just over a week ago.
An officer from Florida Fish and Wildlife said he noticed, in his words, something unusual. He said he spotted dozens of buzzards concentrated in a specific area. In this area as well, he said, he noticed the appearance of some kind of trail where someone could have been dragging an object.
The search of the wooded area came up empty, and it was canceled at around 4 p.m. However, the search for the missing mother and daughter remains active.
Earlier Monday, the father of the missing girl, Gustavo Castaño, made the news when, his lawyer said, he lost his right eye after Miami-Dade Police discharged a Taser at his client’s face. “My client no longer has a right eye. He was tased,” said attorney Michael Grieco. “The Taser prongs actually went though his eyeball.”
Last Friday, Castaño was threatening to commit suicide with a box cutter when police used a Taser to stop him. He was in a vehicle parked outside a Home Depot in Hialeah Gardens. “I can’t think of a circumstance, or I can’t think of any protocols that would allow an officer to shoot somebody in the face with a Taser,” said Grieco. “You know, there’s a big difference between trying to control a situation — there are proper protocols.”
Grieco said his client also suffered superficial wounds to the neck area from the box cutter.
Castaño’s attorney released a photograph of Castaño’s bruised face and sealed-shut right eye. “When he went to the hospital, the Taser prong was still in his eye,” said Grieco.
The attorney indicated Castaño has cooperated with investigators. “After four or five days of pretty much unfettered grilling from the police, the family thought it was appropriate to retain counsel at this point to make sure their rights are protected,” he said. “He’s given up his phone. He’s given up all sorts of things.”
Grieco said investigators have zeroed in on Castaño because of his relation to the missing. “He’s the father of the girl. If you watch any of these shows, any of these things play out, it’s always the dad or the husband that they look at first,” he said. “With some of the actions that he took right before he was tased, it doesn’t help matters, but he has nothing to do with this. We’re focused on just trying to find these two.”
Meanwhile, Liliana and Daniela’s family said they are focusing their efforts on ensuring their loved ones are found. “Well, at this moment, obviously, we’re looking everywhere,” said Carolina Moreno, Liliana’s sister and Daniela’s aunt, through a translator. “We are grateful to the media after the news broke out. The ideal thing is to still find my niece as soon as possible. We have eight days [since their disappearance]. For me, it’s too much time. I still have faith, and I know that they are fine.”
Castaño remains at Kendall Regional Medical Center in recovery as the investigation and search continue.
If you have any information on the missing mother and 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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